Henry Van Hti Yu,center foreground. AP
NAYPYITAW, Myanmar — Myanmar’s parliament has elected Htin Kyaw as Myanmar’s new president, a watershed moment that ushers the longtime opposition party of Aung San Suu Kyi into government.
The 70-year-old Htin Kyaw, a longtime confidant of Suu Kyi, will take office April 1 to become Myanmar’s first democratically elected leader after more than half a century of military rule.
With the vote count still underway Tuesday, Htin Kyaw’s victory was confirmed after he secured 360 votes from among 652 ballots cast.
Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy won a sweeping victory in Nov. 8 elections but she is blocked from the presidency by a clause in the constitution that excludes anyone with a foreign spouse or children. Her two sons and late husband are British.
READ: Is Myanmar’s new president just a puppet for Suu Kyi?