For the first time since the military coup of 1962, a civilian without a military background is the elected leader in Myanmar. Htin Kyaw, the 69-year- old, long-time loyalist of Aung San Suu Kyi and her National Democratic Party, was sworn in as President by the country&’s parliament. The military-supported presidential candidate, former army General Myint Swe, 64, received the second highest number of votes and is the first vice-president. A hardliner, he is widely perceived as responsible for the crackdown on the 2007 Buddhist monk-led uprising. NLD candidate Major Henry Van Thio, 58, is the second vice-president. A former army officer with a minority Chin and Christian background, his nomination suggests that the NLD is not against the military and that Suu Kyi is making a conscious effort to include minorities in the power-structure. This can also be seen in the election of Mahn Win Khaing Than and Aye Thar Aung, with Kayin and Rakhine ethnic backgrounds, to the office of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Upper House.
