News Analysis: Myanmar's ruling party chooses candidates pragmatically, eyes balanced leadership

Three parties of Myanmar's Union Parliament introduced their own presidential candidates on March 11, namely U Htin Kyaw and Chin national U Henry Van Htee Yu of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and U Myint Swe, current Yangon Region Chief Minister and retired army lieutenant-general.

U Htin Kyaw won in the Union Parliament and became president-elect of the country with the highest number of votes and on the back of the fact that most stumbling blocks were removed after the Nov. 8 general election last year.

As the new parliament session started, the NLD was seen to manage big personalities capably, while gaining the trust and keeping the balance of political parties and national reconciliation.

The NLD's senior leadership and elected parliamentary representatives have strictly maintained discipline in dealing with the media and, parliament voting has been unanimous, reflecting the NLD's strong management and follow-through capabilities.

According to the constitution, the president is to be elected from the Union Parliament through presidential electoral colleges representing the House of Representatives (lower house), the House of Nationalities (upper house) and the military parliamentarians.

Each of the electoral colleges can nominate one vice president for the presidential race and the union parliament will vote on the three candidates.

The candidate who wins the most votes will become president, while the remaining two will be the first and second vice presidents depending on the number of votes they have gained .

The NLD holds more than half of the number of seats in the union parliament comprising two houses.

Of 323 seats of elected members of parliament, the NLD took 255, while the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) 30 and other parties 38, and the military 110.

Of elected members of parliament in the House of Nationalities, the NLD took 135 seats, USDP 11 and ethnic nationalities and other parties 22, of a total of 168 seats.

On March 10, when the two houses were nominating presidential candidates, there were only nominations from two parties, the NLD and the USDP.

When voting commenced on March 11, there were 317 members of parliament present in the House of Representatives. Of them, NLD's U Htin Kyaw secured 274 votes exceeding the number of parliamentarians of the party, while USDP's current vice president Sai Mauk Kham, who was absent from voting, gained only 29 votes.

Similarly with the House of Nationalities, of the 167 members of parliament present at the session, NLD's U Henry Van Htee Yu obtained 148 votes, also exceeding the number of members of parliament of the NLD in the house. USDP's former speaker of the House of Nationalities, U Khin Aung Myint, meanwhile received 13 votes.

The results indicate that NLD members of parliament are consolidated entity and unanimous in their actions with all having possibly voted in favor of their own party's nominees.

The NLD, in addition, won the support of the majority parliamentarians of the ethnic parties and other parties. With the exception of those who abstained, the USDP only secured votes from some individuals in the House of Nationalities, while the NLD, effectively, won votes from outside its party.

The statistics suggest that the NLD will likely win enough support not only from its own party but also from other parties in accord when it comes to introducing to new policy.

The NLD has ensured enough support under the union parliament system and it is therefore that U Htin Kyaw, nominated by the House of Representatives, won the presidential race and become the president of Myanmar.

From choosing people such as U Htin Kyaw and U Henry Van Htee Yu as presidential candidates, to speakers and deputy speakers of the two houses, as well as some heads of the parliamentary committees in terms of the balance of party capability, nationalities and religious differences, analysts have said that NLD chairperson Aung San Suu Kyi, has selected trustworthy representatives.

U Htin Kyaw, analysts have proffered, with his low key demeanor and clean background, has been well-received by all political parties and after his name was thrown into the ring, almost no media voiced opposition and the candidate was even honored by the military.

U Htin Kyaw, 70, was a classmate of Aung San Suu Kyi's and possesses a master's degrees in both economics and computer science. He taught in university in his earlier years and later worked in the Ministry of Industry and Foreign Affairs, resigning in 1992 to join the NLD.

U Htin Kyaw's wife Daw Su Su Lwin a close friend of Aung San Suu Lyi is a NLD central executive committee member and is now chairperson of the committee for international relations of the House of Representatives.

His father-in-law, U Lwin, once doubled as deputy prime minister and national planning and finance minister during Ne Win's government tenure. As one of the founders of the NLD, U Htin Kyaw has won the respect and trust of Suu Kyi. U Htin Kyaw is also the son of noted writer Min Thu Wun who was also one of the NLD founders.

Due to his career path and relationships forged, U Htin Kyaw is known to be in Suu Kyi's inner circle and will undoubtedly implement the Suu Kyi leadership's decisions.

Speaker of the House of Representative, U Win Myint, comes from NLD senior leadership level and is a buddhist, Myanmar national, while another vice president nominated by the NLD is from western Myanmar and is known to be a Christian.

Deputy speaker of the House of Representative, U Ti Khun Myat, who is USDP member, is of Kachin ethnicity and a Christian. Speaker of the House of Nationalities, U Mann Win Khaing Than, while coming from the NLD, is of Kayin ethnicity national and a Christian. The deputy speaker of the house, meanwhile, U Aye Tha Aung, a Rakhine national, is a patron of the Arakan National Party, whereas the military-assigned vice president, U Myint Swe, is a Mon ethnic national.

Hence political observers have said that the future leadership in the government and the parliament line up appear to be balances in terms of ethnicities, religion, open door policies and view inter-party cooperation.

As for NLD's new government, the biggest challenge is posed by the issue of national reconciliation. Viewed from the election result, the NLD won some seats in seven regions and five states in the region or state parliament election, but not in Shan state or Rakhine state, highlighting the issue of armed groups.

The new party will need to cooperate closely with the military to effectively win political support to transform it into a force for national reconciliation.

As the military possesses 25 percent of seats in the parliament, any amendment to the constitution can garner a majority of 75 percent of non-military members of parliament. There remains space, therefore, for increased coordination between the NLD and the military to make for better future, analysts have attested. Enditem