Myanmar’s military leadership is set for a reshuffle following an annual armed forces parade yesterday, state media reported.
The imminent leadership change comes just days before Myanmar’s newly convened parliament is due to meet on Monday to start the process to pick a new president, a role the head of the military, Min Aung Hlaing, has reportedly long had his eyes on.
In a meeting on Thursday with retired officers of the Myanmar military, also known as the Tatmadaw, its deputy chief, Soe Win, said that “leadership changes” would take place after the armed forces day ceremony, which typically features an ostentatious parade in the capital, Naypyidaw.
Photo: Reuters
“Irrespective of who leads, Tatmadaw will continue to follow the guidance of successive leaders, advisers and mentors, as well as established military doctrines and policies,” the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper quoted Soe Win as saying.
A political transition is under way in Myanmar following a general election in December last year and January that was won by a military-backed party, opening the door for Min Aung Hlaing to become president.
The poll came amid a raging civil war, triggered by a 2021 coup that unseated a democratically elected government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, a conflict that has plunged the impoverished country into further turmoil.
It is highly unusual occurrence for Myanmar’s military — which is locked in fighting with a range of armed groups on multiple front lines — to pre-emptively disclose a high-level leadership change, said Htin Kyaw Aye, an independent analyst.
“This is a scripted transition, however, such a disclosure of information suggests that there may be underlying anxieties regarding the leadership transition and the redistribution of high-level positions,” he said.
A career infantry officer, 69-year-old Min Aung Hlaing, who was hand-picked by former military ruler Than Shwe to become the commander-in-chief in 2011, has yet to publicly name a successor.
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