Min Aung Hlaing is now Myanmar's new president

Five years after seizing power in a bloody coup, Myanmar's former military chief Min Aung Hlaing has been "elected" as the country's President following a parliamentary vote dominated by the military-backed USDP.

While the 69-year-old general has officially stepped down from his role as army chief to assume the presidency, analysts describe the move as a superficial transition to civilian rule, with real power remaining firmly with the junta.

Under his leadership since 2021, Myanmar has spiraled into a devastating civil war, displacing nearly 4 million people and leaving over 16 million in need of humanitarian aid.

Despite the formation of a new consultative council and the appointment of close ally General Ye Win Oo as the new army chief, the opposition National Unity Government (NUG) has declared the new administration illegal, vowing to continue their armed resistance for a federal democracy.