Myanmar’s parliament is set to hold a bicameral vote on Friday to elect a president, according to House Speaker Aung Lin Dwe, with former military chief and junta leader Min Aung Hlaing among the candidates.
The 69-year-old general, who led the 2021 coup that removed the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and plunged the country into civil conflict, stepped down as Myanmar’s top military commander earlier this week after 15 years in the role.
On the same day, he was nominated as a vice-presidential candidate by a member of the lower house of parliament, alongside two other nominees put forward by the upper house and a bloc of military representatives.
A joint sitting of both parliamentary houses, including military-appointed lawmakers, is scheduled for 10am local time (0330 GMT) on Friday to select a president from the three vice-presidential candidates.
House Speaker Aung Lin Dwe confirmed that all three nominees meet the required qualifications, according to proceedings broadcast on state media.
The political development comes after a highly disputed election held between December and January, which was won by a military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party. The vote was widely criticised by the United Nations and several Western governments as lacking credibility.
