From coup to presidency: Myanmar junta leader tightens grip on power

Myanmar coup leader Min Aung Hlaing was elected president on Friday after winning a majority of parliamentary votes, formalising his grip on power in the country reeling from civil conflict for the last 5 years.

In a significant show of support, the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) joined forces with appointed military legislators to secure a victory for Min Aung Hlaing.

The former commander-in-chief won the vote by a landslide, overcoming an initial lead held by Nyo Saw, a retired general and the junta’s current prime minister.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing won 429 out of the 584 votes cast by MPs in the pro-military parliament.

Before taking the position of president, Aung Hlaing decided to step down as armed forces commander, as required by the constitution.

The 69-year-old general strengthened his position as junta leader by usurping the administration of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021 and arrested her. The coup sparked protests, leading to nationwide armed resistance against the junta.

According to critics, the recent win of Aung Hlaing represents a move to tighten its grip over the country and perpetuate the military rule in the facade of democratic rule.

Aung Kyaw Soe, an ‌independent Myanmar ⁠analyst, said, “He has long harboured the ambition to trade his title of commander-in-chief for president and it appears his dreams are now becoming a reality.”

For the last five years, Myanmar has been grappling with a brutal civil war marked by grave violations of human rights, dire economic conditions, and absence of national stability.

In 2024, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court sought an arrest warrant for Aung Hlaing over the alleged persecution of the Rohingya Muslim community.

To counter the military hardening position, some anti-military groups, including those belonging to Aung San Suu Kyi’s party have formed a new resistant front.

“Our vision and strategic objectives are to completely dismantle all forms of dictatorship, including the military dictatorship, and to collectively initiate a new political landscape,” the Steering Council for the Emergence of a ‌Federal Democratic Union said in a statement.