On Wednesday, Htin Kyaw was sworn in as Myanmar's new president, becoming the first civilian to nominally lead the Southeast Asian country since the military took control in 1962. Htin Kyaw took the oath of office during a ceremony in parliament, followed by his two vice presidents and 18 ministers. Most prominent of the ministers is Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Htin Kyaw's National League for Democracy party who is barred from being president by the military-written constitution. Suu Kyi, who is now foreign minister, has made no secret of her plan to run the country behind the scenes, and Htin Kyaw, one of her longtime confidants, alluded to that in his speech, saying "the new parliament and new government are formed in accord with the policies of the National League for Democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi."
Hours after the swearing-in ceremony, outgoing President Thein Sein, a former general, shook hands with his successor and handed over a letter formally transferring power. Htin Kyaw said in his speech that he has "the obligation to work toward achieving a constitution that has democratic norms and is suitable for the nation," but among the military junta's remaining powers is 25 percent of seats in parliament reserved for military officers, a large enough bloc to sink any unfavorable constitutional changes.
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