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March 21st, 2018 
Awake Goy 
nsnbc : Myanmar’s 71-year-old President Htin Kyaw announced Wednesday that he would retire. His retirement puts a representative of the country’s military at least temporarily in a position of executive power.
President Htin Kyaw’s announcement follows reports that ill health forced him to travel abroad for medical care at least twice in the past year. The statement said his post would be filled within seven working days, in line with the constitution. Htin Kyaw became president in March 2016. He was Myanmar’s first elected civilian president and head of its first government to be elected in free and fair polls since a 1962 military coup.
After Htin Kyaw became president, Suu Kyi became Myanmar’s de facto leader when she was named State Councilor, a position created for the country’s once-leading voice for democracy. Suu-kyi is constitutionally disqualified from the presidency because the constitution bars anyone with a foreign spouse or child from holding the office. Suu-kyi’s two sons are British, as was her late husband.
By mutual agreement, Htin Kyaw in office acted as a proxy for Suu Kyi, who is also foreign minister. Suu Kyi had explained publicly — and to public approval — that she would be “above the president.”
Photo courtesy Xinhua
Htin Kyaw was known as a personal loyalist to Suu Kyi rather than an active political member of her National League for Democracy party, though his wife is a daughter of one of the party’s founding members. Htin Kyaw spent time in jail for helping Suu-kyi try to make an unsanctioned trip out of Yangon under a previous military government, and served as a director of a charitable foundation named after Suu Kyi’s mother.
Myanmar has two vice presidents, and according to its constitution, 66-year old First Vice President Myint Swe will serve as acting president. He was nominated for vice president by the military, which enjoys special privileges over the government.
Myint Swe, a former lieutenant general, was chief of military affairs security under the former military government. That position landed him in 2007 on a U.S. Treasury Department blacklist with restrictions on travel and financial transactions because of their anti-democratic activities. He and others were taken off the list in late 2016 as a gesture of support from Washington for the transition to a civilian government. Myint Swe was also regarded as being close to Senior Gen. Than Shwe, who headed the last military government.
When a vote is taken for a new president by both houses of parliament, the choice will be among Myint Swe, the other vice president, Henry Van Thio, who was elected by the upper house of parliament, and a third candidate to be put forward by the lower house, which had nominated Htin Kyaw. Henry Van Thio is a member of the country’s Chin ethnic minority. The strong majority held by Suu Kyi’s party allowed it to name Htin Kyaw president in 2016 and should put its new choice, whoever it may be, back in the job again.
CH/L – nsnbc 21.03.2018
Source Article from https://nsnbc.me/2018/03/21/myanmars-71-year-old-president-htin-kyaw-resigns/
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