On Tuesday, Myanmar's parliament elected Htin Kyaw as the country's first civilian president in more than five decades. The lower house had nominated Htin Kyaw, a 70-year-old writer and longtime ally and confidant of Aung San Suu Kyi, the democracy advocate whose National League for Democracy (NLD) won big majorities in both houses of parliament in historic November elections. Suu Kyi is barred from the presidency due to a clause in the constitution widely seen as designed specifically to bar her election; she says she will run the country anyway.
Htin Kyaw secured at least 360 of the 652 ballots cast to beat a candidate nominated by the upper house and another one put forward by the military. The military candidate, Myint Swe, came in second with 213 votes and will be first vice president. The third candidate, Henry Van Tio, a member of the NLD like Htin Kyaw, will become second vice president. Htin Kyaw will be sworn in April 1, replacing Thein Sein.
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