Myanmar junta chief elected vice-president

[ad_1] Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing was elected a vice-president by the decrease home on Tuesday, parliament officers stated, with the coup chief edging nearer to changing into the nation's civilian chief.

Myanmar's former commander in chief Min Aung Hlaing has led Myanmar since 2021, when he ousted the elected authorities of Aung San Suu Kyi and triggered civil struggle.

His election units in movement a course of for him to trade his uniform for civilian garments, because the nation's parliament selects three vice-presidents, one in every of whom is then chosen as president.

On the decrease home flooring Tuesday morning, MPs queued up at a row of tables and dropped their ballots into one in every of three clear-sided bins.

"The decrease home of elected MPs declares Senior Basic Min Aung Hlaing as a vice-president," decrease home speaker Khin Yi stated after the vote.

The junta chief obtained 247 of the 260 votes, a parliament official stated, in accordance with a dwell broadcast.

The higher home elected Nan Ni Ni Aye, a regional MP from Karen state with the military-aligned Union Solidarity and Improvement Occasion (USDP), as one other vice-president, native media reported.

A 3rd vice-president will probably be chosen by the army.

A parliament-wide vote to pick out which of the three will probably be elevated to president is anticipated this week.

Democracy watchdogs have lengthy warned that the brand new authorities will probably be a proxy of the army, which has dominated Myanmar for the overwhelming majority of its post-independence historical past.

Myanmar's army has lengthy introduced itself as the one pressure guarding the restive nation from rupture and spoil.

Learn extra Polls shut in Myanmar's junta-run elections with military set for victory

The generals loosened their grip for a decade-long democratic experiment starting in 2011, permitting Aung San Suu Kyi to ascend as civilian chief and steer a interval of reform because the nation opened up.

However after Aung San Suu Kyi trounced the USDP in a landslide in 2020 elections, Min Aung Hlaing snatched again energy as he grew anxious concerning the army's waning affect, analysts say.

After 5 years of hardline rule, the highest common oversaw closely restricted elections that returned a walkover win for pro-military events in January.

Watch extra Why is Myanmar's junta holding an election?

Now the USDP -- led and staffed by many retired officers -- is entrenched in parliament after profitable 80 % of elected seats, and it's anticipated the brand new authorities will march in lockstep with the highest brass.

Min Aung Hlaing is anticipated to handle a rigorously orchestrated transition to changing into president, after he handed over the reins of the army to loyalist Ye Win Oo on Monday.