Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing was sworn in as president on Friday. He continued his rule from a civilian post five years after seizing power in a military coup.
As the country’s armed forces chief, Min Aung Hlaing ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021. He detained the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and triggered a civil war.
After five years of rule by decree, he organised an election that concluded in January. The vote excluded Suu Kyi’s party. Military allies secured a landslide win in civilian politics and backed him into the top office.
“Myanmar has returned to the path of democracy and is heading toward a better future,” the 69-year-old said in a speech. He read the presidential oath at a parliamentary ceremony in Naypyidaw to begin his five-year term.
According to AFP reports, Min Aung Hlaing resigned as top general to take over as president of the new government. The swearing-in came ahead of Myanmar’s Thingyan holiday starting Monday. The festival marks the new year with water-splashing ceremonies of renewal.
Democracy watchdogs described the transition as a rebranding of military rule under a civilian disguise.
More than two-thirds of his 30 ministers sworn in on Friday are retired or serving military officials. A similar share served in the post-coup junta leadership. More than ten ministers face international sanctions.
AFP reporters saw bomb squads patrolling hotels in Naypyidaw ahead of the ceremony. Authorities also sealed parliament with multiple checkpoints.
Ahead of the swearing-in, authorities pardoned some political prisoners from Suu Kyi’s administration. They also invited government workers who resigned in protest over the coup to return to their jobs.
Critics dismissed these steps as cosmetic. However, Min Aung Hlaing said his government will “grant appropriate amnesties to support social reconciliation, justice and peace”.
He did not mention Suu Kyi. She remains held incommunicado since the coup. She serves a 27-year sentence on charges rights groups call politically motivated.
More than 22,000 people have been detained since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Thousands have also died in the civil war.
The junta presented the election as a return of power to the people and a step towards reconciliation in the conflict.
Myanmar’s post-coup leadership remains isolated internationally. Analysts say the election also aimed to rebuild legitimacy and reopen foreign engagement, including investment projects.
Min Aung Hlaing said his government will “work to restore normal relations” with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The bloc has ostracised Myanmar’s leadership since the coup.
Officials from China, India and Thailand attended Friday’s ceremony. Representatives from 20 other countries also joined, according to parliamentary officials.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul sent a congratulatory message this week, according to state media. He said relations would “grow from strength to strength” under Min Aung Hlaing’s “able leadership”.
China remained the strongest backer of the election, according to analysts. Discussions on stalled Chinese-backed infrastructure projects have also resumed.
Myanmar’s military has ruled the country for most of its post-independence history.
A rare decade-long opening began in 2011, when the military loosened its grip. Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government then took partial control during a period of reform.
Analysts say the military regained power out of concern over its declining influence after Suu Kyi’s landslide victory in the 2020 elections.
The junta-run election excluded parties that won more than 90 per cent of seats in 2020, according to the Asian Network for Free Elections. Authorities also jailed people for protesting or criticising the vote.
Voting also did not take place in large parts of the country. Rebels control those areas and rejected the election, further weakening Min Aung Hlaing’s mandate, according to rights monitors.
