Myanmar's junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has been sworn in as the country's president, formalizing his grip on power after five years of military rule that have seen the country descend into a brutal civil war. The 69-year-old's inauguration on Friday, reported by multiple international outlets, comes a week after Myanmar's parliament, which had been elected in a vote widely dismissed as a sham, chose him for the post, and marks the culmination of a promise made in the early days of the 2021 coup to return the country to civilian rule.

A preordained transition

Min Aung Hlaing's path to the presidency was never in doubt. As reported by several sources, he secured 429 of the 584 votes cast by members of parliament. Another report, citing a statement from parliament, said he had received 339 out of 664 seats in both chambers, though outlets have presented slightly different vote tallies for the presidential poll itself. The election that produced this parliament, held in phases between December and January, saw the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) win a landslide, with figures of more than 80% of contested seats and a specific count of 339 out of 664 seats in both chambers mentioned in the coverage.

The conditions of this transition have been widely reported. The parliamentary vote took place in a country where a quarter of all seats are reserved for the military, a fact confirmed by Reuters, and where the 2020 election result, which the coup was launched to overturn, had seen the military's quota of appointed legislators support its candidate. The votes were cast as the United Nations and Western governments reported that the elections were neither free nor fair, a claim echoed by human rights groups and reported by multiple outlets, with the BBC noting that criticism of the poll had been effectively criminalized and voting was not held in rebel-held territories.

The general-turned-president

Min Aung Hlaing's background has been detailed in several reports. Born into a family from Dawei in southeastern Myanmar, he studied law before being admitted to the Defence Services Academy on his third attempt, according to a report from The Guardian. He rose through the military ranks to become commander-in-chief, a position he held from 2011 until this week, when he handed over command to General Ye Win Oo, a close ally and former spymaster, as reported by multiple outlets.

His rule has been defined by the 2021 coup. In the early hours after seizing power, Min Aung Hlaing detained then-leader Aung San Suu Kyi, as reported by Reuters. The coup triggered widespread protests and a nationwide armed resistance movement. The civil war that followed has been devastating, with the UN reporting around 6,800 civilian deaths and 3.6 million people displaced. However, these figures, reported by Deutsche Welle, stand in contrast to estimates from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), cited by The Guardian, which puts the death toll at more than 96,000. The crises have been further compounded by a fuel shortage, which one report noted is due to Myanmar's dependence on imports and has led to rationing for private vehicles, and a deep humanitarian crisis that the UN says has left more than 16 million people in need of aid.

A coronation, not an election

The political transition has been met with skepticism. In a live broadcast of the vote, the speaker of the parliament, Aung Lin Dwe, announced Min Aung Hlaing as the winner, as reported by France 24. Japan's NHK reported that he was one of three candidates, alongside Nyo Saw and Nan Ni Ni Aye, who will now serve as vice-presidents after receiving the second and third most votes.

This transition, per reports from several sources, includes the creation of a new five-member Union Consultative Council, which DW described as a 'super-body' with authority over all branches of power. Experts see this as a formalization of military rule. Yoshihiro Nakanishi, a professor at Kyoto University's Center for Southeast Asian Studies, told DW that the move was an attempt to formalize the military regime and treat the 2021 coup as a 'fait accompli.' The BBC's Southeast Asia correspondent Jonathan Head noted that this was more of a 'coronation' than an election, a point echoed by independent Myanmar analyst Aung Kyaw Soe, who was quoted in The Guardian as saying Min Aung Hlaing's long-held ambition to trade his title of commander-in-chief for president had now become a reality.

Key Claims

* Electoral Dominance: The military-aligned USDP won a landslide victory in elections held in December and January, which the UN, Western governments, and human rights groups said were neither free nor fair. * Contested Death Toll: The human cost of the conflict is a subject of dispute, with the UN reporting 6,800 civilian deaths, while ACLED estimates more than 96,000 people have been killed. * A Prelude to Peace?: In his inauguration address, Min Aung Hlaing said Myanmar has 'returned to the path of democracy' and pledged to 'enhance international relations and strive to restore normal relations' with ASEAN, a claim shared by the regime's critics remain skeptical of. * USDP Dominance: The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) secured 339 out of the 664 seats in parliament, a figure confirmed by TASS, securing Min Aung Hlaing the presidency.

Perspectives

The new government under President Min Aung Hlaing has so far received congratulations from China, and the inauguration was reportedly attended by representatives from 23 countries, including China, India, and Thailand. However, the international response remains largely fragmented, with the UN and Western governments condemning the vote as a sham. The reaction from the Myanmar people and armed resistance groups will be crucial. As the military loses its grip on territory across the country, with less than half of the country under its control, according to reports, the conflict shows no sign of abating. As one analyst told DW, the spring revolution is likely to 'continue and may even intensify,' a sentiment reflecting deep-seated opposition to military rule that remains unaddressed by the recent political transition.