Myanmar junta leader elected president, cementing grip on power

NAYPYITAW - Myanmar's parliament on Friday elected junta leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing president of a new military-backed administration, confirming the widely anticipated scenario that the former military chief would continue to rule the country.

The voting followed a parliamentary procedure seen as the final step in the country's transition from junta rule to a quasi-civilian government, with Min Aung Hlaing consolidating power seized in a 2021 military coup that toppled the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi.