Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing elected president by pro-military parliament
Myanmar's junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has been formally elected president by a pro-military parliament, cementing his control five years after a coup.
Myanmar's military junta chief Min Aung Hlaing was formally elected as the country's president on April 3, 2026, by the pro-military Union Parliament in Nay Pyi Taw. He secured 429 out of 584 votes in the Presidential Electoral College, which comprises all representatives of the Union Parliament. This election followed a carefully orchestrated political process that began with Min Aung Hlaing stepping down as military commander-in-chief in March 2026 to comply with constitutional rules barring the president from holding that position, with General Ye Win Oo succeeding him as armed forces chief.
The election occurred after a controversial parliamentary vote held in late December 2025 to January 2026, which was limited to about one-third of Myanmar's territory amid ongoing civil war and resulted in a parliament dominated by pro-military parties like the Union Solidarity and Development Party. Min Aung Hlaing was nominated by the Pyithu Hluttaw (Lower House) representatives as one of three vice presidents elected earlier in the week, with U Nyo Saw (representing military appointees with 126 votes) and Nan Ni Ni Aye (from the Amyotha Hluttaw or Upper House with 29 votes) becoming vice presidents.
This development represents a formalization of Min Aung Hlaing's control over Myanmar five years after he led the February 2021 military coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's democratically elected government. The election has been widely criticized by international observers and opposition groups as a "cosmetic rebrand" or "military regime in civilian clothing," with critics noting that the parliament was stacked with military loyalists and the electoral process was neither free nor fair.
The election raises significant questions for regional diplomacy, particularly for ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), which has struggled to engage with Myanmar since the 2021 coup. While China has issued congratulations to the newly elected president, many Western countries continue to impose sanctions on Min Aung Hlaing and the military regime. The development occurs against the backdrop of an ongoing civil war that has devastated Myanmar since the coup, with widespread resistance to military rule continuing across much of the country.
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