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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Rebecca Ratcliffe South-east Asia correspondent

Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing appointed president after ‘sham’ election

Min Aung Hlaing visits a polling station during the third and final phase of Myanmar's general election in Mandalay on 25 January 2026
Myanmar’s new president, Min Aung Hlaing, has been accused of presiding over repeated atrocities and human rights abuses. Photograph: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty

Min Aung Hlaing, the military general who plunged Myanmar into conflict and economic chaos when he took power in the 2021 coup has been appointed president, months after widely condemned sham elections.

Min Aung Hlaing, who is wanted by the prosecutor of the international criminal court for crimes against humanity against the Rohingya Muslim minority, was voted president by lawmakers on Friday. Myanmar’s parliament is dominated by the pro-military party, which won a landslide in one-sided elections earlier this year.

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