Outgoing Myanmar Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing greets leaders during a handover ceremony in Naypyidaw. (EPA)
On March 30, Myanmar’s junta leader, General Min Aung Hlaing, has stepped down as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces seat to run for the presidential race. He promised to “continue to serve the interests of the people, the military, and the national interests of the country.”
This decision was made on Monday when he announced Ye Win Oo, a former intelligence chief, to replace him in the near future. Min Aung Hlaing and two other names have been nominated to become a vice-presidential candidate by Pyithu Hluttaw (Lower House). Under Myanmar’s political system three vice presidents are nominated within the parliament, with one becoming the president.
To become a candidate, Min Aung Hlaing was ordered by the constitution to leave his post as the military chief. This unfolding event is the result of a long-standing process of the junta’s pursuit of political power.
Earlier, between December 2025 to January 2026, a series of controversial elections were held in several parts of the country. However, 65 townships were unable to vote because they were held by opposition militia groups.
Moreover, most opposition parties were ineligible to join the race due to the Election Protection Law that restricted their participation. Consequently, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), the junta’s ally party, faced no credible opposition and dominated the poll easily. Analysts widely view this as a transition of military power under civilian guise.
Myanmar has faced political turmoil following the military coup since February 2021 that ousted Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Her fate remains unknown to anyone to this day. The country is torn apart due to the exacerbation of violence that led to a civil war between rebels and the armed forces. The United Nations has recorded at least 3.6 million civilians have been displaced nationwide, and over 12 million face acute hunger.
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