Roundup: Myanmar starts presidential election for second term of civilian gov't

A presidential election process for the second five-year term of civilian government began in Myanmar's parliament Thursday as three parliamentary groups of presidential electoral college submitted their candidates.

The presidential election came four months after a general election was held on Nov. 8 last year, in which the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won the absolute majority of the parliamentary seats.

The three parliamentary groups of presidential electoral college represent the House of Representatives (Lower House), House of Nationalities (Upper House) and non-elected military-assigned representatives.

Candidate nomination process of the two Houses was carried out in the parliament building, chaired by respective new speakers U Win Myint and U Mann Win Khiang Than, while that of the military will take place at their own army headquarters separately.

In the group of presidential electoral college of the House of Representatives, U Htin Kyaw, a non-elected parliament representative, was nominated by the NLD, while Sai Mauk Kham, currently Vice President, was nominated by the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

U Htin Kyaw is considered by the NLD and Aung San Suu Kyi herself the most suitable person to be nominated as the constitution blocks Aung San Suu Kyi from becoming president out of her special family status.

U Htin Kyaw, son of noted writer Min Shu Wun, was born in Kunchangon town.

A classmate with Aung San Suu Kyi in Yangon Methodist High School, U Htin Kyaw attended the Yangon University of Economics in 1962 and graduated with a degree of Master of Economics. As the first scholarship winning student of the Yangon Computer Department, he was sent to Britain for further study.

He resigned as government employee in 1992 and joined the NLD, continuing writing under his father's pen name.

He is also the son-in-law of late former NLD secretary U Lwin, a former Army colonel joining the opposition party.

As the most trusted person by Aung San Suu Kyi, U Htin Kyaw was nominated by the NLD as a candidate to join the presidential election.

Sai Mauk Kham, current vice president, was re-elected as a representative of the USDP to the House of Representative from Lashio constituency in the Nov. 8 general election 2015.

In the group of presidential electoral college of the House of Nationalities, U Henry Van Htee Yu of Chin state constituency-3 was nominated by the NLD, while U Khin Aung Myint, previous speaker of the House of Nationalities, was nominated by the USDP.

U Henry Van Htee Yu, a Chin national and a Christian, holds a diploma in law, while U Khin Aung Myint was re-elected as a representative to the House of Nationalities from Mandalay constituency in the Nov. 8 general election last year. Besides being previous speaker of the House of Nationalities, he also serviced as culture minister.

The parliament set the three groups to nominate one each candidate in the final for vice president and through voting, the one, who wins the most number of votes, will take the presidency, while the remaining two be vice presidents.

Nominees for vice presidents by the three groups of presidential electoral college will continue to undergo scrutiny if they are qualified for the posts and the approval of the candidates will be announced in a few days and further submitted to the Union Parliament comprising two Houses, for presidential run.

Voting for the presidency is expected on March 17 or 18 when the Union Parliament reconvenes.

The elected president and two vice presidents will be sworn-in at the parliament on March 30, while the handover of the duties of head of state is set to be carried out at the Presidential Palace as a follow-up to complete the process.

Myanmar was ruled by successive military government for five decades and the first civilian government emerged in March 2011 with U Thein Sein becoming the first elected president after the military handed back the state power.

The Union Parliament comprising two Houses is shared by NLD with 390 MPs or 59.36 percent, USDP with 41 MPs or 6.24 percent, other parties and individuals with 60 MPs or 9.132 percent and the military representatives with 166 MPs or 25.26 percent. Endit