NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar, April 2, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Myanmar lawmakers will elect a new president on Friday, the parliamentary speaker said, with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing one of three candidates for the post. The former commander in chief has led Myanmar since 2021, when he ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and triggered a civil war. He was one of three vice presidents elected by lawmakers on Tuesday, receiving 247 of 260 votes in the lower house. "Among the three vice presidents... (members of parliament) have to vote to select and elect the one vice president they prefer as the President," parliamentary speaker Aung Lin Dwe said Thursday, adding the vote will be held at 10:00 am (0330 GMT). But after Aung San Suu Kyi trounced the USDP in a landslide in 2020 elections, Min Aung Hlaing snatched back power.
