Myanmar’s president, a close friend of Suu Kyi, retires
YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar’s president, a close friend of leader Aung San Suu Kyi, said Wednesday that he was retiring, a move that puts a representative of the country’s already powerful military at least temporarily in a position of executive power.
An announcement posted on the Facebook page of the Myanmar President Office said 71-year-old Htin Kyaw would step down because he wished to take a rest. It follows reports that he suffered ill health that forced him to travel abroad for medical care at least twice in the past year.
The statement said his post would be filled within seven working days, in line with the constitution.
Htin Kyaw, who became president in 2016, was Myanmar’s first elected civilian president and head of its first government to be elected in free and fair polls since a 1962 military coup.