Myanmar Junta Retains Power as Its Chief Wins the Presidency

Myanmar’s junta chief Min Aung Hlaing who led a coup in 2021 was elected president by lawmakers Friday, maintaining the military’s grip on power in the war-ravaged Southeast Asian country.

The 69-year-old former military leader won 429 out of 584 votes cast at the Union Parliament dominated by the junta’s proxy party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party. He beat two other presidential candidates — Nan Ni Ni Aye, from the Upper House, and ex-general Nyo Saw, nominated by the military, according to a live broadcast.