Myanmar parliament elects Suu Kyi confidant Htin Kyaw as President

Myanmar parliament elected a close friend and confidant of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi as President on Tuesday, making Htin Kyaw the first Head of State who does not hail from a military background since the 1960s.

Ms. Suu Kyi led her National League for Democracy (NLD) to a landslide election win in November, but a constitution drafted by the former junta bars her from the top office.

style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">On Thursday, the NLD nominated Htin Kyaw for the role. He runs a charity founded by Ms.Suu Kyi and has been a trusted member of her inner circle since the mid-1990s. He is not a lawmaker.

Htin Kyaw received 360 votes of the 652 cast, the parliamentary official counting the votes said on Tuesday.