Myanmar Junta Chief Nears Presidency After Criticized Elections

Myanmar’s junta leader Min Aung Hlaing moved closer to the presidency after a lower house nomination on Tuesday, paving the way for the military to extend its rule following elections criticized by the United Nations and others as a sham.

The 69-year-old junta leader secured the lower house nomination for vice president in a chamber dominated by the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party that won an overwhelming majority in the elections concluded in January. He stepped down as commander-in-chief on Monday, according to state-run media, ahead of a presidential vote because the 2008 constitution bars the president from holding a military post.