Myanmar’s parliament elected a close friend and confidant of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi as President on Tuesday. Htin Kyaw is the first head of state who does not hail from a military background since the 1960s.
Suu Kyi led her National League for Democracy (NLD) to a landslide election win in November, but a constitution drafted by the former junta bars her from the top office. The antipathy that some generals felt toward Suu Kyi led them to insert a clause in the constitution to stymie her.
The clause forbids anyone with a foreign spouse or child from becoming president. Suu Kyi’s two sons are British, as was her late husband.
Htin Kyaw received 360 votes of the 652 cast, the parliamentary official counting the votes said on Tuesday.
When the NLD won the parliamentary elections, Suu Kyi had hoped to convince the generals to allow the constitutional clause to be scrapped.
The military, which controls a quarter of the seats in parliament, refused to relent during several rounds of negotiations with her. So the NLD had to nominate someone else as its candidate for president, who is chosen by members of parliament.
Foreseeing such an eventuality, Suu Kyi told the media before and after the election that she would be the real power in the government, and whoever becomes president would do her bidding.
While her statement may sound undemocratic, she could argue that she was only reflecting the will of the people who voted for the party because of her. So she chose a trusted friend she has known for more than 60 years.
Htin Kyaw, a 70-year-old former computer programmer and bureaucrat has been a confidant who has been by her side for decades as an astute adviser.
Experts say that Suu Kyi’s position on being the real power will ensure that Htin Kyaw will be seen as a seat warmer, and therefore an easy target for military leaders keen to reassert control.
It gives him little clout in making policy decisions, even among his own colleagues. Experts also warn that it is possible that foreign leaders and governments will bypass him and go directly to Suu Kyi, making him less relevant.
(With inputs from wires.)
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