Parliament in Burma is preparing to elect its first civilian president after almost 50 years of military rule, the main candidates (members of the military-backed USDP party) being Tin Aung Myint Oo, outgoing Prime Minister Thein Sein and ethnic Shan Sai Mauk Kham.
The appointment of a president will be the final step in Burma’s ‘roadmap to democracy’ and
Thein Sein, a trusted ally of top general Than Shwe, is seen as the most likely future president. Thein Sein was one of some 20 military chiefs who stepped down from their army posts just before the election to enable them to run as civilian candidates.