Myanmar junta appointed Ayeyarwady Chief Minister amid controversy over last-minute parliamentary agenda changes

Mizzima

The 2026 Ayeyarwady Region Parliament appointed U Aye Kyaw as Chief Minister on 6 April, a move that has sparked significant dissatisfaction among representatives from minor political parties.

A lawmaker stated that the agenda for the 6 April session, distributed on the afternoon of 5 April, did not include the appointment of the Chief Minister. It was only after arriving at the assembly hall on 6 April that the parliamentary office staff distributed a new agenda, revealing the changes.

“We only found out about the schedule change minutes before the session started. Such a last-minute change does not comply with parliamentary rules and regulations. Although representatives from minor parties are unhappy about the alteration, they do not dare to speak up,” said a source close to the 2026 Ayeyarwady Parliament.

A person close to the parliament mentioned that only representatives from the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), the National Unity Party (NUP), and military appointees were granted prior knowledge of the appointment ceremony.

The lawmakers who were kept in the dark include three from the People’s Pioneer Party (PPP), three from the People’s Party, three from the Kayin People’s Party (KPP), and one from the Farmers’ Development Party.

Mizzima has received both the agenda distributed on 5 March and the one issued on the morning of 6 March; however, the source has requested not to publish them for security reasons.

During the session on 6 April, U Aye Kyaw was appointed as the 2026 Chief Minister of Ayeyarwady Region without any objections. He is a former secretary of the Region government who had previously resigned due to illegal land confiscation issues during U Thein Sein’s administration.