Myanmar military leader nominated for presidential vote by parliament

Myanmar regime leader Senior General Min Aung ​Hlaing was nominated by a ‌lawmaker on Monday for a parliamentary vote that will select the new president ​of the war-torn Southeast Asian ​nation, as the powerful veteran general seeks a ⁠political role.

Min Aung Hlaing, who currently ​also serves as Myanmar’s commander-in-chief, ​was one of two people named as vice-presidential candidates by lawmakers from the country’s ​newly-convened lower house of parliament.

The country’s ​upper house will nominate another vice-presidential candidate, with ‌a ⁠president selected from the three in a subsequent bicameral vote, the date of which has not been ​announced.

The move ​comes after ⁠a controversial election held amid raging conflict in December ​and January, won by the military-backed Union ​Solidarity ⁠and Development Party (USDP) but widely derided as a sham by the U.N. and many Western ​countries.

REUTERS