Myanmar's parliament elects Suu Kyi confidant as president
Add BT as a preferred source
DeeperDive is a beta AI feature. Refer to full articles for the facts.
[NAYPYITAW] Myanmar's parliament elected a close friend and confidant of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi as president on Tuesday, making Htin Kyaw the first head of state who does not hail from a military background since the 1960s.
Ms 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.
She has vowed to run the country anyway through a proxy, and on Thursday the NLD nominated Mr Htin Kyaw for the role. He runs a charity founded by Ms Suu Kyi and has been a trusted member of her inner circle since the mid-1990s. He is not a lawmaker.
Mr Htin Kyaw received 360 votes of the 652 cast, the parliamentary official counting the votes said on Tuesday.
REUTERS
Share with us your feedback on BT's products and services
TRENDING NOW
S-E Asia tourism takes hit from Middle East crisis, but intra-regional travel could spell hope
Higher costs, lower returns: Why are Singaporeans still betting on real estate?
From 1MDB to ‘corporate mafia’: Is Malaysia facing a new governance test?
China pips the US if Asean is forced to choose, but analysts warn against reading it like a sports result
