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| President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar | |
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| ပြည်ထောင်စု သမ္မတ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော် သမ္မတ | |
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| Style | His Excellency (formal) |
| Type | Head of state |
| Member of | Cabinet (normally) National Defence and Security Council |
| Residence | Presidential Palace |
| Seat | Naypyidaw |
| Nominator | Assembly of the Union |
| Appointer | Presidential Electoral College |
| Term length | Five years, renewable once |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Myanmar |
| Precursor | Governor of Burma |
| Formation | 4 January 1948 |
| First holder | Sao Shwe Thaik |
| Deputy | Vice President |
| Salary | K5 million/US$ 2,380 per month[1] |
| Website | www |
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 Myanmar portal |
The president of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (Burmese: နိုင်ငံတော် သမ္မတ; MLCTS: nuing ngam tau samma.ta.) is the head of state and constitutional head of government of Myanmar.[2] The president chairs the National Defence and Security Council and normally leads the Cabinet of Myanmar, the executive branch of the Burmese government, though the military prime minister leads the cabinet under the current state of emergency. Acting President Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the military and prime minister since 2021, is the current holder since Acting President Myint Swe transferred his powers in July 2024. Myint Swe had himself been installed by Min Aung Hlaing through a military coup d'état on 1 February 2021. There is no constitutional mechanism for the transfer of presidential authority outside the order of succession, making the constitutionality of the transfer questionable according to legal experts.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Though a constitutionally powerful position, the presidency is a largely symbolic post under the current military government, with the only presidential action having been to declare and extend the state of emergency.[10][7][11]
The president is elected by members of parliament, not by the general population; specifically the Presidential Electoral College, a three-committee body composed of members of parliament, elects the president.[12] Each of the three committees, made up of Amyotha Hluttaw, Pyithu Hluttaw members of parliament, or military-appointed lawmakers, nominates a candidate for presidency.[12]
After the 2015 election, the extraconstitutional post of State Counsellor of Myanmar was created for Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the majority party, the National League for Democracy, because she was ineligible for the presidency. She served as the de facto head of government until she was deposed in the 2021 coup d'état by Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Min Aung Hlaing, who created the extraconstitutional posts of chairman of the State Administration Council and prime minister for himself to lead the government.
- ^ "NLD cuts salaries of MPS, ministers, saves nearly K6b". 25 February 2019. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
- ^ "Junta Watch: Old Faces Reappear, Coup Leader Declares Himself Buddhism's Savior and More". The Irrawaddy. 5 February 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ "Myanmar coup: who are the military figures running the country?". The Guardian. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ Milko, Victoria (1 February 2021). "Why is the military taking control in the Myanmar coup?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ "Myanmar Military Seizes Power". The Irrawaddy. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ Milko, Victoria; Kurtenbach, Elaine (1 February 2021). "A decade after junta's end, Myanmar military back in control". Associated Press. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
- ^ a b Khine Lin Kyaw (31 July 2022). "Myanmar Extends State of Emergency For Six Months Until February". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ "Myanmar junta leader assumes presidential powers as president takes 'sick leave,' state media reports". CNN. 22 July 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ "Myanmar Junta Defends Min Aung Hlaing's Presidential Power Grab as 'Constitutional'". The Irrawaddy. 24 July 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ "Junta Watch: Old Faces Reappear, Coup Leader Declares Himself Buddhism's Savior and More". The Irrawaddy. 5 February 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ "The leader of Myanmar's army government is named acting president so he can renew state of emergency". Associated Press. Bangkok, Thailand. 22 July 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ a b "FACTBOX – Myanmar's new political structure". Reuters. 31 January 2011. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2011.