Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing has been appointed president by lawmakers, months after widely condemned elections. The general, who seized power in a 2021 coup, is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity against the Rohingya Muslim minority.
The pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party won a landslide in the one-sided elections held from December to January. The vote was denounced as a sham designed to give legitimacy to military rule. Min Aung Hlaing had long sought the presidency but was thwarted by the electoral success of Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained since the coup.
Min Aung Hlaing, 69, was born in Dawei and studied law before joining the military. He became commander-in-chief in 2011 as Myanmar began a fragile democratic transition. The military retained power even after Suu Kyi’s 2015 victory, with a quarter of parliamentary seats reserved for the armed forces.
The power-sharing arrangement collapsed after Suu Kyi’s 2020 landslide win. Min Aung Hlaing alleged voter fraud without evidence and launched the coup, triggering protests and a civil war. He has been accused of atrocities including airstrikes, mass killings, and forced displacement of Rohingya Muslims in 2017, now subject to a genocide case at The Hague.
Analysts say the appointment will not ease the political crisis or conflict. Min Aung Hlaing is seen as paranoid and likely to install loyalists. He has sought to improve his international standing, but his diplomatic overtures have been mocked, including a 2023 Moscow visit where he claimed the Buddha prophesied Myanmar-Russia friendship.
