Myanmar’s Lower House speaker U Win Myint is tipped to become country’s next president after the abrupt resignation of President U Htin Kyaw Wednesday, reports The Myanmar Times.
The announcement of the President Office said U Htin Kyaw’s resignation is effective immediately.
According to sources, Lower House speaker U Win Myint, 66, a long-time serving member of the National League for Democracy (NLD) has already resigned from his position to take the top job.
U Win Myint was among members of the NLD who won the 1990 general election, but were not recognized by the then-ruling military regime. Many of NLD members faced arrest and prosecution by the regime.
“In accordance with section 73(b) of the Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, election of a new President within seven working days to fill the vacant post will be conducted,” the Office of the President statement said in announcing the resignation of U Htin Kyaw.
The section states the Acting President shall promptly intimate the Head of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw to fill the vacancy within seven days, if the President resign and the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw is in session.
Vice President Myint Swe would temporarily succeed as president while the parliament has yet to select U Htin Kyaw’s successor.
The 71-year-old U Htin Kyaw is a politician, writer and scholar. He has been the president of Myanmar since 2016, when the National League for Democracy (NLD) took power after winning the general parliamentary elections in November 2015.