Htin Kyaw, the man chosen by Aung San Suu Kyi to serve as her proxy, was sworn in as Myanmar's president on Wednesday in a historic power shift away from outright army rule.
The 69-year-old close aide and confidante of Suu Kyi pledged to be "faithful to the people of the republic of the union of Myanmar" at a ceremony at the country's parliament in the capital Naypyidaw.
Myanmar new President Htin Kyaw (3L), flanked by Vice Presidents Myint Swe (2L) and Henry Van Thio (4L), is sworn in to office by House Speaker Mahn Win Khine Than (1L) during a ceremony in Naypyidaw on March 30, 2016. Credit: AFP
Aung San Suu Kyi will be foreign minister in Myanmar's first civilian government for decades, giving the democracy champion a formal post despite being blocked from the presidency.
In an earlier report, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has congratulated Htin Kyaw for being elected as Myanmar's first civilian President in over five decades and expressed hope that the country will continue to be on the path of democracy and national reconciliation.
