YANGON : Myanmar will swear in its new president within two days, paving the way for the imminent transfer of power from the ruling junta to a nominally civilian government, officials said Tuesday.
Prime Minister Thein Sein, who shed his army uniform to contest controversial elections last year, was named in February for the top job in the new parliament, where the military retains a stranglehold on power.
"The president will be sworn in tomorrow. If they cannot hold it tomorrow, it will be the day after tomorrow," an official in Myanmar told AFP, on condition of anonymity.
"After he is sworn in, the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) will hand over power to the new government." The SPDC, previously known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), seized power in 1988, but the country has been under military rule since 1962. "The SPDC will be automatically dissolved after they hand over power to the new government," added another official, saying this transfer was likely to be on Friday.
Senior General Than Shwe, who has ruled with an iron fist since 1992, remains commander-in-chief of the army. Although he has not taken the top political role, many analysts believe he will attempt to retain some sort of control behind the scenes.
His key ally Thein Sein had been tipped for the presidential post even before the vote, supporting fears that the regime has engineered the political process to hide military power behind a civilian facade.
The 65-year-old became a civilian last year to contest the November election as head of the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which claimed an overwhelming majority in the poll
Prime Minister Thein Sein, who shed his army uniform to contest controversial elections last year, was named in February for the top job in the new parliament, where the military retains a stranglehold on power.
"The president will be sworn in tomorrow. If they cannot hold it tomorrow, it will be the day after tomorrow," an official in Myanmar told AFP, on condition of anonymity.
"After he is sworn in, the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) will hand over power to the new government." The SPDC, previously known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), seized power in 1988, but the country has been under military rule since 1962. "The SPDC will be automatically dissolved after they hand over power to the new government," added another official, saying this transfer was likely to be on Friday.
Senior General Than Shwe, who has ruled with an iron fist since 1992, remains commander-in-chief of the army. Although he has not taken the top political role, many analysts believe he will attempt to retain some sort of control behind the scenes.
His key ally Thein Sein had been tipped for the presidential post even before the vote, supporting fears that the regime has engineered the political process to hide military power behind a civilian facade.
The 65-year-old became a civilian last year to contest the November election as head of the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which claimed an overwhelming majority in the poll
No comments:
Post a Comment