Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing has been appointed president, months after widely criticised elections that opponents have described as a sham.
The general, who seized power in a 2021 coup, has overseen a period of prolonged conflict and economic instability in Myanmar since toppling the civilian government.
Min Aung Hlaing, who is wanted by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court over alleged crimes against humanity against the Rohingya Muslim minority, was voted into the presidency by lawmakers on Friday.
Parliament is dominated by the military-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party, which secured a landslide victory in elections held earlier this year.
Analysts say the role has long been a personal ambition of the general, though his path was previously blocked by the electoral success of Aung San Suu Kyi.
The former civilian leader, now 80, has been detained since the 2021 coup and barred from political participation after her party was banned from contesting recent polls.
The election, held in phases between December and January, has been widely dismissed by critics as lacking credibility and designed to legitimise continued military rule. Observers do not expect the leadership change to ease Myanmar’s political crisis or ongoing armed conflict.
Min Aung Hlaing had already been serving as acting president and is expected to consolidate power further by appointing loyalists to key positions, according to analysis by the International Crisis Group.
“He will not trust anybody [enough] to take orders from [them] – he would want to deliver the orders,” said Yanghee Lee, who described the general as deeply suspicious.
Born in Dawei in southeastern Myanmar, Min Aung Hlaing studied law in Yangon before joining the elite Defence Services Academy after multiple attempts. He rose through the ranks to become commander-in-chief in 2011, at a time when the country was beginning a fragile transition towards democracy.
Despite reforms, the military retained significant power under a system it described as “disciplined democracy”, including control over key ministries and a guaranteed share of parliamentary seats.
That arrangement collapsed following the 2020 election, when Suu Kyi’s party again won decisively. The military alleged widespread voter fraud without providing evidence, and on 1 February 2021, Min Aung Hlaing led a coup that triggered mass protests and a civil war that continues today.
The general has since been accused of overseeing widespread human rights abuses. Military operations under his command have been linked to mass displacement in ethnic minority regions and to the 2017 campaign against the Rohingya in Rakhine state, now the subject of a genocide case at The Hague.
United Nations investigators have also accused his regime of indiscriminate airstrikes on civilians, as well as “mass killings of detainees, dismemberment and desecration of bodies, rape and the deliberate burning of entire villages”, describing such acts as “a manifestation of an organisational policy”.
Myanmar’s military denies allegations of genocide and maintains that its operations are targeted at what it describes as terrorist groups.
In recent months, Min Aung Hlaing has increased his international engagements in an apparent effort to rebuild diplomatic ties after years of isolation. His outreach has included a visit to Moscow, where he praised Vladimir Putin and made remarks that drew ridicule from critics.
Observers say the junta leader has sought to present himself as a statesman rather than a battlefield commander, often appearing at infrastructure projects and factories rather than frontlines. “It’s well known that he’s long coveted the presidency,” said Richard Horsey.
Horsey also noted the general’s strong belief in superstition and religion, pointing to his patronage of Buddhist monuments, including the construction of a large Buddha statue in Nay Pyi Taw.
“I don’t think he sees that as [being in] contradiction with his role as a brutal leader,” said Horsey.
Despite consolidating power domestically, Min Aung Hlaing faces continued resistance across large parts of the country, where opposition forces control territory or remain engaged in active conflict.
With backing from key ally China, however, the junta leader is likely hoping the recent election will help restore some international legitimacy and shore up support among pro-military factions frustrated by the ongoing instability.
