NAYPYITAW, Burma/Myanmar—Burma’s slow transition to democracy took a momentous step Wednesday as a trusted aide to ruling-party leader Aung Suu Kyi took over as the country’s president, officially ending more than 50 years of the military’s control over government.
In a day full of ceremony and symbolism, Htin Kyaw was sworn in along with his two vice presidents and 18 Cabinet ministers. Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace laureate and face of Burma’s pro-democracy movement, takes on a prominent role as the country’s new foreign minister and the head of three other ministries.
“The Union Parliament has elected me as president, which is a historic moment for this country,” Htin Kyaw, 70, said in a speech after being sworn in. He pledged to work toward national reconciliation, strive for peace with warring ethnic rebels and improving the lives of Burma’s 54 million people.
While it was a historic day for this impoverished Southeast Asian country, democracy remains incomplete. The military retains considerable power in the government and parliament, and the president himself will play second fiddle to Suu Kyi. She cannot be president because of a constitutional manipulation engineered by the military, and has repeatedly said she will run the country from behind the scenes.
