Myanmar Military Chief Min Aung Hlaing Nominated as President After Consolidating Power — What It Means Now

Fresh details are pushing this story further into focus. Myanmar's military commander-in-chief Senior a senior military official has been formally nominated as the country's president, a move that all but confirms his installation in the role and represents the final formal consolidation of military control over the country's political institutions since the February 2021 coup. Hlaing, who has been subject to targeted sanctions by the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, and other Western governments over human rights abuses including the military's treatment of the Rohingya Muslim minority, is now certain to assume the presidency. The nomination comes as Myanmar's civil war between the military junta and various resistance forces — including ethnic minority armed organisations and the People's Defence Force aligned with the ousted civilian government — continues to exact a devastating toll on the civilian population. The UN estimates over 3 million people have been displaced inside Myanmar since the coup. ASEAN's ongoing attempts at mediation have produced no meaningful progress, and Western governments have shown no indication of softening their sanctions posture in response to the presidential nomination. The picture now is one of rising pressure, wider consequences and very little room for error.