Htin Kyaw , a close ally of Aung San Suu Kyi Sworn In As Myanmar President Wednesday March 30,2016

 

              Htin Kyaw (centre) was sworn in as president along with his vice-presidents

Htin Kyaw ,a close ally of Aung San Suu Kyi was sworn in as Myanmar's president on Wednesday March 30,2016, a role that will see him act as a proxy for the pro-democracy figurehead and carry the hopes of a nation emerging from military rule.

Htin Kyaw takes power from former general Thein Sein who has helmed far-reaching reforms since 2011.

The handover at the junta-built parliament in the capital Naypyidaw marks the final act of a prolonged transition since Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party swept the November 2015 elections.

Wearing a collarless shirt in the NLD's peach-coloured parliamentary colours, the bespectacled Htin Kyaw pledged to be "faithful to the people of the republic of the union of Myanmar"

Vice-presidents Henry Van Thio and Myint Swe, who lost to Htin Kyaw in the presidential vote earlier this month, were also sworn in, as were new cabinet ministers.

Who is Htin Kyaw?

• Htin Kyaw, 69, is Ms Suu Kyi's close aide.
• He attended university in the UK. He has a reputation for honesty and loyalty, and has kept a low profile.
• His father, the writer and poet Min Thu Wun, won a seat for the party at the 1990 election.
• His wife, Su Su Lwin, is the daughter of an NLD founder, as well as being a sitting MP, and a prominent party member.
• He has played a senior role at the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation, the charity founded in honour of Suu Kyi's late mother, and has been frequently seen at the NLD leader's side, serving as her driver from time to time.

Note

Suu Kyi, 70, is barred from becoming president by the junta-scripted constitution but has declared that she will steer the government anyway, taking on a clutch of cabinet positions including that of foreign minister.