Aung San Suu Kyi’s party yesterday nominated her former driver and close aide to be Myanmar’s next president, as the Nobel laureate looks to rule her former junta-run homeland through a trusted proxy.
Aung San Suu Kyi has vowed to rule “above” the president, despite being barred from top office by the army-scripted constitution, as she strives to fulfill the huge mandate delivered by millions of voters in her National League for Democracy’s (NLD) landslide election victory in November last year.
The selection of Htin Kyaw, a genial 69-year-old who went to school with Aung San Suu Kyi and now helps run her charitable foundation, comes after months of fevered speculation.
Even her own members of parliament were kept in the dark about the deliberations, with the party fearful of upsetting a delicate political transition in a nation where the military still casts a long shadow.
“This is an important step in implementing the desires and expectations of voters who enthusiastically supported the NLD,” Aung San Suu Kyi said in a statement published on her party Web site early yesterday, urging people to support the party’s goal “peacefully.”
Many in Myanmar have clung to faint hopes that the 70-year-old democracy campaigner could still be named president, but months of talks with the powerful military have failed to remove the legal obstacles in her way.
She is barred by a charter clause that disqualifies anyone with close foreign relatives. Her late husband and sons are British.
“I would like to propose U Htin Kyaw, from the NLD,” said Khin San Hlaing, a lower house lawmaker for the NLD, which will also nominate another candidate from the upper house.
Though Htin Kyaw is almost certain to clinch the nomination with backing from the NLD-dominated parliament, his official confirmation might take days.
Two other candidates will be put forth — one from the upper house and the other from the military, which still controls a quarter of the legislature.
A final vote of the combined houses will then determine which candidate will become the president, leaving the other two as vice presidents.
Htin Kyaw is considered a smart choice by Aung San Suu Kyi and her party.
The affable economics graduate, who acted as a driver for Aung San Suu Kyi in brief spells of freedom from her long years of house arrest, has the democracy movement in the family.
He is married to sitting NLD lawmaker Su Su Lwin.
Neither he or his wife attended the parliament yesterday.
Burmese historian and political analyst Thant Myint-U said in a tweet soon after the announcement that Htin Kyaw was a “stellar choice” who had “unimpeachable integrity.”
Online comments reacting to the announcement were generally positive.
“We have waited a long time to see an educated president for Myanmar, and now he and Mother Suu will lead the country together,” Thiri Khinsanar said in a post on a local news Web site.
Aung San Suu Kyi has vowed to create a government of national reconciliation and the Cabinet is expected to contain figures from across the political spectrum.
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