The Tamesis
March 31, 2026
Bangkok – Myanmar coup leader Min Aung Hlaing resigned as commander-in-chief of the armed forces on Monday, March 30, 2026, a move widely seen as paving the way for him to become the country’s next president after the first election since the 2021 military takeover.
The 69-year-old general, who has led Myanmar’s military since 2011 and masterminded the 2021 coup that overthrew elected government Aung San Suu Kyi, was nominated by members of the newly convened lower house of parliament as one of two vice-presidential candidates. Under Myanmar’s system, the upper house and the military bloc will also put forward candidates, and the president will then be chosen from among three candidates in a later parliamentary vote. The voting date has not yet been announced.
The move follows disputed elections in December and January amid fierce clashes. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party won, but the poll was widely dismissed by the United Nations and many Western countries as lacking legitimacy.
Reuters reported that Min Aung Hlaing has long harbored ambitions to become president, although Myanmar’s post-coup civil war has severely undermined the military’s authority and weakened its control over the country. Independent analyst Htin Kyaw Aye said this had always been Min Aung Hlaing’s goal and that the shift represented a transition from control by a military ruler to control with the title of president.
Born into a family in southern Myanmar, Min Aung Hlaing studied law before joining the army and rose steadily through the ranks before taking over as commander-in-chief 15 years ago. He has long been viewed as a ruthless manipulator who maintained power by managing elite interests, rewarding loyalists in key positions and squeezing out rivals. This reputation has defined his military rule and political strategy since the coup.
At a separate ceremony in Naypyidaw, Min Aung Hlaing formally handed over the top military post to Gen. Ye Win Oo, a veteran and former intelligence chief who was appointed army chief earlier this month. His meteoric rise has been astonishing: Ye Win Oo was promoted from army chief of staff to commander-in-chief in just two months, a speed that analysts say reflects the level of trust Min Aung Hlaing has in him.
Independent analyst Aung Kyaw Soe said the double promotion showed Ye Win Oo was one of the coup leaders’ most trusted loyalists. Unlike many senior officers who graduated from the elite Defense Forces Academy, Ye Win Oo graduated from the Officer Training School. He previously served as an infantry division commander and was responsible for the Southwest Command in the Ayeyarwady Delta region of southern Myanmar.
A March analysis by the Myanmar Institute for Strategic and Policy Studies, a Thailand-based think tank, said Ye Win Oo has remained a general since the coup and has assumed some of the most important responsibilities in military administration. However, the report also said he appeared to lack extensive leadership experience in battlefield command and agency management.
This reorganization has sent a signal in advance. Myanmar’s military is preparing for a future leadership change in the armed forces on March 27, a rare public indication from the usually opaque body that a transition is imminent. Even so, the change appears to be an effort to ease Min Aung Hlaing into the presidency while maintaining the military’s dominance under new formal arrangements, analysts said.
Despite the changing names, many observers see little sign of any real shift in power. Instead, the latest move appears aimed at reshaping Min Aung Hlaing’s rule in a civilian form while ensuring that control of the armed forces remains in the hands of loyal allies.
