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[Jonathan Fairfield]

Myanmar military chief defends political role, report

YANGON

Myanmar's commander-in-chief reiterated the need for the military to continue its powerful role in politics and said he would consider standing for president in November elections if asked to do so, according to an interview broadcast on Monday.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing told the BBC that he had no intention of stepping down from his role leading the military this year, ending some speculation about his plans, but he left open the possibility of accepting a presidential nomination.

"If people ask me to do this duty, I will decide then," he told the BBC.

Myanmar's military retains a strong position in the Southeast Asian country's quasi-civilian government that came to power in 2011, ending 49 years of direct military rule, and has shown little interest in ceding its control.

Under the military-drafted constitution, presidential candidates do not need to be legislators. The constitution also reserves 25 percent of seats in parliament for unelected military officers

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/20/us-myanmar-politics-idUSKCN0PU0DV20150720

-- Reuters 2015-07-21