Myanmar junta chief appoints himself acting president

Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of Myanmar’s military junta, has taken over as president following an announcement last week that the current occupant of the position is on “medical leave.” According to state media reports, Myint Swe, the acting president of the country since the military seized power in February 2021, formally handed over his duties to Min Aung Hlaing on Monday. On Friday, the regime announced that Myint Swe, a 73-year-old former general, has been gravely ill with neurological disorders and is receiving medical care at his home following weeks of treatment abroad and at a military hospital. Min Aung Hlaing had to step in as president so that he could assume Myint Swe’s responsibilities in the National Defence and Security Council (NDSC), the junta-controlled Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper announced on its front page on Tuesday. “The responsibilities of the acting president of the NDSC were transferred to Min Aung Hlaing through a signing occasion at 11:30am on July 22,” the announcement said. The move comes just over a week before the regime is due to extend the state of emergency that it imposed when it seized power more than three years ago. Limited to just six months under the military-drafted 2008 constitution, the state of emergency has already been extended five times. When the military overthrew Myanmar’s democratically elected government, it jailed most of its senior leaders, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint. Accusing them of fraud in the 2020 election that the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) won in a landslide, it has also convicted them on numerous other politically motivated charges related to their time in power. While the regime claims that its goal in taking power was to hold new elections and “restore democracy,” many observers have noted that Min Aung Hlaing has long harboured ambitions to become Myanmar’s head of state. “The ultimate reason he staged the coup was to fulfil his crazy dream to become president,” said veteran political analyst Than Soe Naing. Despite taking pains to maintain the pretence of following the constitution, including by appointing Myint Swe—who served as a military-appointed vice president during the NLD administration—as president, the junta has actually been guided mainly by Min Aung Hlaing’s will, according to Than Soe Naing. “Although I’m not surprised by the move, I really didn’t expect him to do something as brazen as this—simply appointing himself as acting president,” he added. However much the title may mean to Min Aung Hlaing, it isn’t likely to add much to the power that he already holds as junta leader and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, according to Than Soe Naing. “His new, self-appointed role isn’t going to get him any international support—except from Russia and some smaller countries that are close to Russia,” he said.

Myanmar junta chief appoints himself acting president

By assuming the role, Min Aung Hlaing is fulfilling a long-held dream, but not really achieving anything, say observers

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