Civilian president Htin Kyaw a first in Burma

Burma’s parliament has elected Htin Kyaw as the country’s new president. It is a watershed moment, which ushers Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition party into government, after 54 years of direct or indirect military rule.

The joint session of the two houses of parliament broke into thunderous applause, as speaker, Mann Win Khaing Than, announced the result: “I hereby announce the president of Myanmar is Htin Kyaw, as he won the majority of votes.”

The state-run Myanmar TV’s camera zoomed in on a beaming Ms Suu Kyi, clapping excitedly in the front row. The 70-year-old Htin Kyaw, a long-time confidant of Ms Suu Kyi, will take office on April 1, but questions remain about his position.

The job rightfully belonged to Ms Suu Kyi, who has been the face of the pro-democracy movement, and who endured decades of house arrest and harassment by military rulers, without giving up on her non-violent campaign to unseat them. But a constitutional provision barred her from becoming president, and she said that whoever sits in the chair will be her proxy. But Htin Kyaw will be remembered by history as the first civilian president for Burma and the head of its first government to be elected in free and fair polls.