NAYPYIDAW: Myanmar’s pro-military lawmakers elected junta chief Min Aung Hlaing as president on Friday, with the ex-armed forces commander set to maintain his rule in a civilian guise after snatching power by force five years ago.
The coup-leading general ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, triggering a civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people. Parliament speaker Aung Lin Dwe announced Min Aung Hlaing was elected president, chosen by military-aligned MPs installed in a recent election overseen by the junta he leads.
Min Aung Hlaing secured 429 of 584 votes cast in the upper and lower houses of parliament in the capital Naypyidaw on Friday, a parliament official said. While the junta touted parliament’s reopening last month as a return of power to the people, analysts describe it as civilian window dressing intended to launder the military’s continuing rule.
“There is no hope for the country under his presidency. The country will only get worse,” said a 50-year-old Yangon resident. “I never expected anything from this government anyway,” she said, adding it was formed through “fake elections”.
The pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) won more than 80 percent of parliamentary seats contested in the phased poll that concluded in January. Serving members of the armed forces also occupy unelected seats making up a quarter of the total.
Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2026
