Figurehead president of military-ruled Myanmar dies aged 74

Myint Swe headed Myanmar arsenic president from 2021 to 2024 pursuing the military’s powerfulness grab.

Myint Swe, who has served arsenic Myanmar’s military-backed president, has died aged 74 aft a agelong aesculapian leave, according to authorities media.

The quality of his decease was announced connected Thursday successful a connection from the government.

“President U Myint Swe passed distant astatine 8:28am this morning,” the connection said, adding that Myint Swe volition person a authorities funeral.

A erstwhile general, Myint Swe became president of Myanmar successful 2021 erstwhile the subject overthrew the civilian authorities of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Before the subject takeover, helium held respective elder enactment posts, including the station of archetypal vice president during a play of semi-democratic regularisation that ended successful 2021.

The coup handed powerfulness to Min Aung Hlaing, the commander-in-chief of Myanmar’s military, with Myint Swe serving arsenic a figurehead person carrying retired ceremonial duties.

Min Aung Hlaing stepped successful arsenic “acting president” of Myanmar past twelvemonth erstwhile Myint Swe went connected aesculapian permission owed to the effects of Parkinson’s disease, according to reports.

At the clip of his death, Myint Swe was struggling with “weight loss, nonaccomplishment of appetite, fever and a diminution successful cognitive function” and had been admitted to a subject infirmary successful the capital, Naypyidaw, according to authorities media.

His decease comes conscionable a week aft subject person Min Aung Hlaing lifted a authorities of exigency successful the state amid a grinding civilian warfare and called for elections to beryllium held successful December.

While the subject besides nominally transferred authorization to a civilian-led interim authorities successful beforehand of the vote, observers accidental the alteration was connected insubstantial only, and Min Aung Hlaing has retained eventual powerfulness arsenic caput of the equipped forces.

Efforts to clasp elections are seen arsenic an effort by the subject authorities to summation legitimacy and de-escalate years of convulsive governmental turmoil that person engulfed the state since it grabbed power.

Opposition groups person pledged to boycott the poll.

Myanmar has been successful a authorities of civilian warfare since 2021, erstwhile pro-democracy protests escalated into a convulsive uprising, aboriginal compounded by the introduction of equipped taste groups.

The military-backed authorities has since mislaid power of ample sections of the country.

Estimates successful 2024 suggested that it controlled lone one-fifth of the country, though the military-held areas see large municipality areas.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies