Accused War Criminal Min Aung Hlaing Installed as Myanmar President

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing was elected Myanmar’s president by the military and its proxy‑dominated Union Parliament on Friday, formally placing a man long accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide at the helm of the state.

He won the most votes among the three nominees, a result that surprised no one given the regime’s control over the process. His two vice-presidents are former military-appointed Prime Minister Nyo Saw, a longtime loyalist, and Nan Ni Ni Aye, Karen State chair of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

Min Aung Hlaing seized power in a February 2021 coup, overthrowing the democratically elected government just as it was preparing to begin its second term. Min Aung Hlaing’s rule has devastated the country socially and economically. His brutal efforts to crush the nationwide armed resistance to his military dictatorship have left more than 3 million people displaced, and his regime’s mismanagement has pushed the poverty rate to 31 percent amid high inflation.