Myanmar Leadership

Myanmar has a very complicated history ever since gaining independence from the British in 1948. A large part of the history of Myanmar is the leaders who have run the country. The current leader of Myanmar is Myint Swe who gained power in February of 2021 via a military coup. Swe also was acting president for a brief stint lasting nine days in March of 2018. Swe is a member of the Union Solidarity and Development party which was founded in 2010, according to Britan
nica. The Union Solidarity and Development party is a pro-military party that promotes the ideas of the military coup that took power in 2021 and is vehemently anti- democracy. Swe’s predecessor was Win Myint who was a member of the National League for Democracy Party. 

Before the military coup, President Win Myint was in close contact with Aung San Suu Kyi who was the state counselor. She is a very strong proponent of democracy and was detained many times due to her advocacy for democracy. She is a descendant of a former general of Myanmar and has been in some form of power for the majority of her career. Her father, General Aung San was also a big proponent or freedom as he supported the separation from British rule before Myanmar gained independence. 

During the 2020 elections, the National League of Democracy got heaps of support from the public. This news was then overshadowed with doubt by the Union Solidarity and Development Party. The party stated that there was fraud in the election and that the National League for Democracy did not actually win the election. The military asked for a complete rerun of the polls, and when the government rejected that request the military staged a coup in early 2021.

The current president then took power of Myanmar. He and the military detained many pro-democracy leaders in the country.


Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2023, October 15). 2021 Myanmar coup d’état. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/2021-Myanmar-coup-d-etat#ref1304624 

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Myanmar since 1988. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Myanmar/Myanmar-since-1988 

Migrator. (n.d.). Who is myint swe - the acting president of Myanmar. Deccan Herald. https://www.deccanherald.com/world/who-is-myint-swe-the-acting-president-of-myanmar-946456.html 

P-Crc. (2018, November 12). Aung San Suu Kyi: A peace icon’s role in ethnic cleansing. Post Conflict Research Center. https://p-crc.org/2018/01/05/aung-san-suu-kyi-a-peace-icons-role-in-ethnic-cleansing/ 

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