Suu Kyi aide sworn in as president in historic power shift

MyanmarenteredaneweraonWednesdayasAungSanSuuKyi'sdemocracymovementtookpowerafter50yearsofmilitarydomination,withacloseaideoftheNobellaureatesworninaspresident.

SuuKyi,amemberofparliamenttotheHouseofRepresentatives(LowerHouse)fromYangon'sKawhmuconstituency,wasbornonJune19,1945,inYangon,Myanmar,whichwasformerlyknownasBurma.

HerfatherGeneralAungSan,thethendefactoprimeministerofBritishBurma,wasassassinatedin1947.HermotherDawKhinKyiwasappointedtheambassadortoIndiain1960.

SuuKyiobtainedabachelor'sdegreefromtheUniversityofOxfordin1969,andin1972,shemarriedMichaelAris,ascholarinBhutanesestudies.

HtinKyaw,aschoolfriendandconfidantofthedemocracychampion,succeedsformergeneralTheinSein,whousheredinreformsthattransformedMyanmarfromarepressivehermitstatetoanationfullofhope.

AsHtinKyawtooktheoathofoffice,hehintedhewouldchangethearmy-imposedconstitutionthathasexcludedhisfriendandmentorfromthetoppost.

MrsSuuKyi,70,isbarredfrombecomingpresidentbythejunta-scriptedconstitutionbuthasdeclaredthatshewillsteerthegovernmentanyway.HtinKyawisexpectedtoactasherproxy.

Thehandoveratthejunta-builtparliamentinthecapitalNaypyidawmarksthefinalactofaprolongedtransitionsinceMrsSuuKyi'sNationalLeagueforDemocracypartysweptelectionslastNovember.

TheNLDwon80percentofparliamentaryseats,givingthemamassivepublicmandatetorule.

Theyaretaskedwithrevivingabatteredeconomyandasocietystraitjacketedbythearmy,whichruledwithanironfistbetween1962andthestartofreformsin2011underTheinSein'squasi-civilianadministration.

Welcominganewageoffullciviliangovernment,thebespectaclednewpresidentpledgedtobe"faithfultothepeopleoftherepublicoftheunionofMyanmar".

"Iwillupholdandabidebytheconstitutionanditslaws.Iwillcarryoutmyresponsibilitiesuprightlyandtothebestofmyability,"the69-year-oldtoldthechamber.

Inalaterceremonyatthepresidentialpalace,TheinSeinsymbolicallyhandedovertohissuccessorasasmilingMrsSuuKyilookedon.

Butthearmyisfarfromleavingthepoliticalscene.Themilitaryholdsaquarterofallparliamentaryseatsandthreekeypostsinthecabinet.

MrsSuuKyi,thestandard-bearerofthefightfordemocracy,joinsthatsamecabinetholdingaclutchofpositionsincludingforeignminister.

InaspeechlaterinthedayHtinKyawsignalledtheNLDwouldcontinueitslong-statedvowtoamendtheconstitutiontobringitupto"democraticstandards"--nosmallordergiventhatthemilitary'sblocinparliamentgivesitaneffectivevetoonanysuchchange.

Hegavenodetails.ABBCreportsaidMrsSuuKyiplannedtocreateanewpositioninthegovernment,roughlyequivalenttoprimeminister,fromwhichsheplanstogovern.

Inthemeantime,shehasbeensworninasforeignminister.

ExpectationsrunhighamongMyanmar's51millionpeoplebutthenewgovernmentfacesasteeptask.

Revoltsstillrageinethnicminorityborderlands,povertyiswidespreadandthemilitaryholdshugepoliticalandeconomicpower.

Sectariantensionsandanti-Muslimsentimenthaveflaredinrecentyears.

USPresidentBarackObamahailedan"extraordinarymoment"inMyanmar'shistory.

"HtinKyaw'sinaugurationrepresentsahistoricmilestoneinthecountry'stransitiontoademocraticallyelected,civilian-ledgovernment,"Obamasaidinastatement.

Buthewarnedof"significantchallengesgoingforward,"includingoneconomicdevelopmentandworkingtosecuringpersonalfreedomsforall.

TheEuropeanUnionwelcomedHtinKyaw'sswearinginasa"newimportantstepintheconsolidationofthecountry'sremarkabletransition".

Butitadded:"ManychallengesremainforMyanmartobecomeaninclusive,pluralisticandpeacefuldemocracy."

NLDlawmakersalsohavelittlepracticalexperienceofgovernment.

Butonahistoricdaythepartyfaithfulwereundauntedbythechallengesahead.

"I'mreallyhappy.Iamalsorememberingmycolleagueswhosacrificedforthisbattle(fordemocracy),"saidNLDlawmakerAyeNaing.

AmongasmatteringofNLDsupportersoutsideparliament,YinMyintMaywelcomedthehandover."Itisthebiggestdayforus,"shesaid.

"Rememberwestarted(thedemocracyfight)in1990,"sheadded,referringtoelectionswoninalandslidebytheNLDthatwereignoredbythejunta.

Myanmarhaswitnessedastaggeringpoliticalchangesince2011underTheinSein.

Investorsandtouristshavebeguntopileinasmuchrepressionhaseased,promisingabetterfuturetoapublicwhonowhaveaccesstomobilephones,cheapercarsandothercovetedconsumergoods.

Hundredsofpoliticalprisonershavebeenreleasedandmediacensorshiplifted.Mostwesternsanctionshavebeenrolledbackasareward.

MrsSuuKyi'sadministrationmuststillmaintainsmoothrelationswiththemilitarythatlockedherandmanyofhercolleaguesupforyears.

Aswellastheirguaranteedparliamentarybloc,thejuntachartergivesthearmychiefcontroloverthehomeaffairs,borderanddefenceministries--andwithitsweepingpowersoverthecivilservice.

TheprofileofAungSanSuuKyiasfollows,

AungSanSuuKyi,chairpersonofMyanmar'srulingNationalLeagueforDemocracy(NLD),wasappointedonWednesdayasthecountry'snewforeignminister,concurrentlyholdingthreeotherportfoliosinthenewgovernment.

SuuKyi,amemberofparliamenttotheHouseofRepresentatives(LowerHouse)fromYangon'sKawhmuconstituency,wasbornonJune19,1945,inYangon,Myanmar,whichwasformerlyknownasBurma.

HerfatherGeneralAungSan,thethendefactoprimeministerofBritishBurma,wasassassinatedin1947.HermotherDawKhinKyiwasappointedtheambassadortoIndiain1960.

SuuKyiobtainedabachelor'sdegreefromtheUniversityofOxfordin1969,andin1972,shemarriedMichaelAris,ascholarinBhutanesestudies.

Shehadtwochildrenin1973and1977,andthefamilyspentthe1970sand1980sinEngland,theUnitedStatesandIndia.

In1988,SuuKyireturnedtoMyanmartocareforherdyingmother,andherlifetookadramaticturn.

ShewasgeneralsecretaryoftheNLDwhenthepartywasformedinSeptember1988.

In1989,thegovernmentplacedSuuKyiunderhousearrest,andshespent15ofthenext21yearsindetention.

In1990,ageneralelection,sponsoredbythemilitary,washeldwithherpartywinningmorethan80percentoftheparliamentaryseats.Theelectionresultswereignoredbythejunta.Twentyyearslater,thejuntaformallyannulledtheresults.

In1991,SuuKyiwontheNobelPrizeforPeace,andshewasfinallyreleasedfromhousearrestinNovember2010.

In2012,shecompetedinaby-electionandwonaparliamentaryseatwiththeNLDintheLowerHouse.

ShewaslateassignedbytheLowerHouseastheHouse'schairpersonoftheCommitteeforRuleofLawandTranquility.

(AFP/XINHUA)