Myanmar's presidential vote due Tuesday

Myanmar's presidential vote due Tuesday



NAYPYIDAW: -- The new president of Myanmar's incoming National League for Democracy (NLD) government will go to a vote on Tuesday, after a body scrutinizing presidential qualifications has worked out whether three men selected last week are fit for the post, The Irrawaddy reported.

A scrutiny committee has cleared all three candidates running for the posts of president and two vice presidents, paving the way for a vote by the Union Parliament to held on Tuesday.

Htin Kyaw and Henry Van Thio, both of the NLD, were nominated by the Lower and Upper chambers of Parliament, respectively, on Thursday, while military representatives of the legislature picked Myint Swe, a former lieutenant-general and current Yangon Division chief minister, as their nominee on Friday.

Constitutionally, the three nominees will be put to a ballot in a joint session of the country’s Union Parliament. The winner of the most votes becomes the next president, and the runners-up will serve as vice presidents.

Htin Kyaw, a trusted confidante of NLD chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi, is widely tipped to win Tuesday’s vote. Suu Kyi herself is constitutionally barred from the presidency, and has said the party’s presidential pick will effectively serve as a proxy in a government that she will lead from behind the scenes.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/155100


-- Thai PBS 2016-03-15