The country has been under military rule for that last 50 years
In November 2015, the National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi achieved a landslide victory in the elections. Come March 2016, a close aide of the coveted leader, Htin Kyaw has been elected as the first civilian leader in the last half century, which the country of Myanmar spent under the rule of the military. Winning 360 votes out of the 652 votes cast, Mr. Kyaw beat another candidate of the NLD and one representing the military.
Following Mr. Kyaw was military-nominated Myint Swe with 213 votes in her 
favour, which will now give her the office of the First Vice-President. The Second Vice-President is Henry Van Thio, who got 79 votes. Mr. Kyaw will take office from Thien Sein, who has been in power for five years with support from the army. The Nld has a majority in both Houses of the Parliament, while the military occupies 25% of the seats overall. Moreover, Ms. Suu Kyi was constitutionally unqualified to be a candidate, because the constitution requires the children of the candidates to be legal citizens of the state of Myanmar. Ms. Suu Kyi’s children hold British passports—a requirement that was largely seen as a purposeful amendment against her.
Although weeks of negotiations between the NLD and the military of Burma cooked up to the election, the military refused to eliminate the clause. However, Ms. Suu Kyi is convinced that she shall still be able to run the country with the President acting as a proxy.
Mr. Htin Kyaw, 70, is widely known to be a quiet man with unconditional honesty and loyalty. Educated in the UK, he has been pro-active in the functioning of the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation, a charity started in memory of Suu Kyi’s late mother. In addition, he is the son of poet and writer Min Thu Wun, a member of the NLD since 1990. M. Su Su Lwin, his wife is also the daughter of a founding member of the NLD, a sitting Member of the Parliament.
Source: BBC
Tags: Aung San Suu Kyi Htin Kyaw Myanmar National League for Democracy
