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Presidential frontrunner Htin Kyaw (left) is part of NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s close circle, and was seen next to her when she was released from house arrest in 2010
Myanmar’s National League for Democracy (NLD) has named two candidates, as the country starts the process of selecting a new president.
Correspondents say one of them, Htin Kyaw, is almost certain to be elected president by the NLD-controlled parliament.
The nominations confirm that NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi will not be president of the country.
However, Ms Suu Kyi has previously said she would be “above” the president.
Read more: Aung San Suu Kyi – Power not presidency in Myanmar
Jonah Fisher, BBC News, Nay Pyi Taw – ‘No deal’
She tried right to the last. But there was no deal. Despite a huge win in the election, Aung San Suu Kyi failed to convince the army that her destiny was the presidency.
Clause 59F of the constitution which bars her because her sons have British not Burmese passports remains in place, and she has now chosen someone else.
It’s Htin Kyaw, a fellow Oxford graduate she’s known all her life. He’s a committed member of the party and was by her side when Ms Suu Kyi was released from house arrest in 2010.
His most important quality may be the ability to take orders. Aung San Suu Kyi has made it clear that though she does not have the title – she will still be in charge.
The NLD nominations are the first step in the process of choosing a new president which will happen over the next few days.
The party has named Htin Kyaw, who is part of Ms Suu Kyi’s inner circle, as its lower house nominee for vice president. It has also named Henry Van Thio, an MP from the Chin ethnic minority, as its upper house nominee.
Both houses will separately choose between the NLD’s candidates and those from other parties.
The winner from each house will go on to a second vote to decide the president of the country. A military nominated candidate will also compete in this vote.
The two losing candidates will become vice-presidents.
Because the NLD dominates both houses, correspondents say that Htin Kyaw is almost certain to win.
The NLD won the majority of non-military seats available in parliament in last year’s historic general election.
But the army – which still controls a quarter of all parliamentary seats and key security ministries – remains a significant force in Burmese politics.
BBC