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| Aung San Suu Kyi's party nominates Htin Kyaw for Myanmar president | Aung San Suu Kyi's party nominates Htin Kyaw for Myanmar president |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Myanmar’s new parliament has nominated a senior aide to Aung San Suu Kyi to be its first democratically elected president in half a century. | Myanmar’s new parliament has nominated a senior aide to Aung San Suu Kyi to be its first democratically elected president in half a century. |
| Related: Myanmar’s moment of truth | Nick Davies | Related: Myanmar’s moment of truth | Nick Davies |
| Htin Kyaw, a 70-year-old Oxford graduate, writer and close adviser to the nation’s democracy icon, was formally put forward for the vice-presidential position during a session at the lower house on Thursday morning. | Htin Kyaw, a 70-year-old Oxford graduate, writer and close adviser to the nation’s democracy icon, was formally put forward for the vice-presidential position during a session at the lower house on Thursday morning. |
| Myanmar’s electoral system requires that the president be voted in from a selection of vice-presidents. Henry Ben Htee You, an ethnic minority Chin candidate, was also nominated by the parliament’s upper house, and a third candidate will be chosen by the military. | Myanmar’s electoral system requires that the president be voted in from a selection of vice-presidents. Henry Ben Htee You, an ethnic minority Chin candidate, was also nominated by the parliament’s upper house, and a third candidate will be chosen by the military. |
| But it is Htin Kyaw, a senior executive with a charitable foundation named for Aung San Suu Kyi’s mother, who is tipped as the ruling party’s favourite to play “benchwarmer” for their leader. | But it is Htin Kyaw, a senior executive with a charitable foundation named for Aung San Suu Kyi’s mother, who is tipped as the ruling party’s favourite to play “benchwarmer” for their leader. |
| It’s unclear when the final vote will take place but a director from the parliament told Reuters it was planned for Monday. | It’s unclear when the final vote will take place but a director from the parliament told Reuters it was planned for Monday. |
| With a parliamentary majority of 80% secured at the polls in November, Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) is comfortably placed to pick a winner. | With a parliamentary majority of 80% secured at the polls in November, Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) is comfortably placed to pick a winner. |
| Related: Myanmar's military goes to 'democracy school' with new civilian MPs | Related: Myanmar's military goes to 'democracy school' with new civilian MPs |
| The two losing candidates will become vice-presidents. | |
| Aung San Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from the presidency because her sons are British, but she has vowed to rule from “above” – ideally until she can persuade the military to amend the charter. | Aung San Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from the presidency because her sons are British, but she has vowed to rule from “above” – ideally until she can persuade the military to amend the charter. |
| While the paranoid junta who ruled for almost 50 years handed over power to a nominally civilian government in 2011, the constitution it penned reserved significant powers for the army. | While the paranoid junta who ruled for almost 50 years handed over power to a nominally civilian government in 2011, the constitution it penned reserved significant powers for the army. |
| Talks about altering or suspending the clause that blocks Aung San Suu Kyi have so far been unsuccessful. | Talks about altering or suspending the clause that blocks Aung San Suu Kyi have so far been unsuccessful. |
| The politician’s intention to rule by proxy has a precedent in Sonia Gandhi, India’s Congress party leader, who controlled prime minister Mahmohan Singh’s government before losing power in 2014. | The politician’s intention to rule by proxy has a precedent in Sonia Gandhi, India’s Congress party leader, who controlled prime minister Mahmohan Singh’s government before losing power in 2014. |