Naypyidaw: Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, leader of Myanmar's military junta, has been officially elected as the president by parliament, consolidating his political power in a country fraught with civil war since his coup five years ago.

According to Thai News Agency, the parliamentary vote saw Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the 69-year-old former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, receiving an overwhelming majority of votes. The majority of parliament members were from the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and the military quota, ensuring his victory in the presidential election.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing was the architect of the 2021 coup that ousted Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's government, leading to her detention. This event triggered widespread protests and escalated into armed clashes across Myanmar against the military government.

This transition from a military junta to a civilian presidency follows the general elections in December and January, where the military-backed USDP achieved a landslide victory. Critics and Western governments argue that these elections were a facade to maintain military rule under the guise of democracy.

His rise to the presidency, a position analysts believe he long desired, follows a significant restructuring of the military leadership. Before this, he served as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces since 2011.

On Monday, during his nomination as a presidential candidate, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing appointed General Ye Win Oo, a trusted ally and former intelligence chief, to succeed him as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Analysts interpret this power shift within the military and his ascension to the presidency as a strategic effort to consolidate his influence as a nominal civilian leader, seeking international legitimacy while protecting the military's entrenched interests in Myanmar.