U Win Myint elected as Mynamar's new president

Former lower house speaker and veteran legislator U Win Myint was elected on Wednesday by the parliament as the next president of Myanmar.

He replaces U Htin Kyaw who resigned last week amid rumors that he is in poor-health.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (centre) flanked by presidential candidates U Win Myint (left) and Henry Van Thio (right) entering the parliamentary chamber.

A lawyer by profession, U Win Myint is a member of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), which was swept into power in 2016 ending decades of military rule.

President-elect U Win Myint is expected to reshuffle and energise the government, which has been receiving flak over slow implementation of political and economic reforms, as well as mounting criticisms from the international community for its handling of the Rakhine crisis.

U Win Myint became a High Court senior lawyer in 1981 and moved on to become a lawyer of the Supreme Court of Myanmar a few years later.

He was elected in 1990 but was denied his seat in parliament. He successfully ran in the 2012 by-elections and during the 2015 general elections.

Most importantly, he is a trusted confident of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi who is barred from the presidency by the military-drafted constitution.

(MYANMAR TIMES)