Min Aung Hlaing has taken the presidency, but Myanmar still has not moved beyond the shadow of military rule.
🪖 On April 3, Myanmar’s military-aligned parliament elected Min Aung Hlaing as president with 429 out of 584 votes, completing his shift from junta leader to head of state five years after the 2021 coup.
🏛️ Although it now carries the form of a civilian government, the move is still widely seen as a formalization of military power, as the earlier election was criticized for lacking real competition and the current legislature remains heavily influenced by pro-military forces.
🌐 His departure from the commander-in-chief role, while handing the military to a close loyalist, suggests that the core power structure has barely changed. With the civil war still unresolved and the opposition rejecting the legitimacy of this process, Myanmar is likely to remain a regional flashpoint for instability.