Myanmar’s parliament elected its first civilian president in more than 50 years on Tuesday, ending decades of military rule.
BREAKING: Htin Kyaw, Aung San Suu Kyi's pick, has been elected Myanmar's first truly civilian president since 1962.
— Jonah Fisher (@JonahFisherBBC) March 15, 2016
Htin Kyaw, a longtime confidant and ally of Aung San Suu Kyi, secured 360 of the 652 votes cast in the two houses of parliament.
Elections won in November 2015 for the National League for Democracy party gave an absolute majority in both houses of the Assembly.
Suu Kyi, who is head of the NLD party, is barred from ruling the country due to a clause in the constitution that prevents anyone with foreign relatives from being president. Her late husband was British, as are her two sons.
However, Suu Kyi is still expected to hold considerable influence. In a news conference before the November 2015 election, she said: “If we win and the NLD forms a government I will be above the president.”
After the election results announced him as president, Kyaw told reporters: “This is sister Aung San Suu Kyi’s victory.”
(Image: Reuters)
