The head of Myanmar’s ruling junta, U Min Aung Hlaing, was elected president on Friday by the country’s rubber-stamp Parliament, culminating his yearslong quest to be seen as the country’s true leader.
After decades in the military, he is now expected to portray himself as a civilian head of state. But analysts and foes of the regime said they expect little change in the country’s direction since the generals seized power more than five years ago.
Earlier this week, Mr. Min Aung Hlaing, 69, stepped down as military commander in chief, a role in which he oversaw the killing of thousands of civilians, the coup that overthrew democratically elected leaders and the widely recognized genocide of Rohingya Muslim people.
As president, he is likely to pursue a similarly ruthless path as he attempts to defeat pro-democracy rebels and armed ethnic groups who control about half the country’s territory, critics said.
“His ascension to the presidency would formalize the same violent system that has already caused immense suffering, deepened social fractures and undermined democracy and human rights,” said the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, a group of regional lawmakers.
In a preordained result, Mr. Min Aung Hlaing was elected Myanmar’s 11th president, with 429 of the 584 votes cast. The two other candidates on the ballot were elected first and second vice president.
Parliament convened this week for the first time in five years, following elections in areas controlled by the military. Opposition parties were banned and pro-democracy leaders remained in prison or in hiding. Not surprisingly, military-backed candidates won overwhelmingly. In addition, the military appointed a quarter of the members of the body.
The military has ruled Myanmar for most of the past 60 years, battling armed groups and suppressing dissent to remain in power. The generals began opening the country to democratic reforms in 2011 but restored military rule with the 2021 coup.
Under the nation’s Constitution, which was drafted by the military, the commander in chief operates autonomously and does not come under civilian control.
But Mr. Min Aung Hlaing ensured that he would be succeeded as head of the military by a loyal subordinate, the former military intelligence chief, Gen. Ye Win Oo.
Since the coup, General Ye Win Oo, 60, has played a key role in maintaining military control by overseeing a vast network of interrogation centers where thousands of political prisoners were tortured, according to former army officers and human rights groups.
He also led the team that arrested the previous civilian leader, the Nobel Peace laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, at her house in the capital, Naypyidaw, on the morning of the coup.
“Choosing a former chief of military intelligence for the position of commander in chief is not a reform that benefits the country or the military,” said former Major Swal Taw, who defected in protest after the coup. “It reflects a decision to pick someone who will simply follow orders, stay in line and remain loyal.”
Junta critics said there is no indication that the new president will attempt to heal the country’s divisions by releasing Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi or other democratic leaders.
Now 80, she is one of at least 14,366 political prisoners who are still locked up, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
One of her sons, Kim Aris, who lives in London, issued a harsh statement this week urging world leaders not to legitimize the “ruthless authoritarian regime.”
He called on the incoming president to provide “immediate proof of life” for his mother and all detained political prisoners.
“Min Aung Hlaing and his generals stole power from the people of Burma,” he said, using the country’s former name. “Now, they attempt to dress up their control as a ‘return to civilian government.’ This is not democracy. This is deception.”
While the presidency and the military are supposed to operate independently from one another, the choice of General Ye Win Oo is intended to consolidate Mr. Min Aung Hlaing’s power, said U Aung Myo, an independent political analyst based in Yangon.
“He is a professional soldier who follows orders, and, on a personal level, his relationship with Min Aung Hlaing is said to resemble that of a father and son,” he said.
“What we are likely to see is not a dual power structure,” he continued, “but a centralized system in which Min Aung Hlaing sets the political direction and Ye Win Oo enforces it through military discipline and intelligence control.”
Sean Turnell, an adviser to Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi who was imprisoned for 21 months after the coup, said he expects the regime will try to persuade the world that change has come to Myanmar, even though it has not.
“Over the next few days and weeks, we are likely to see a rash of announcements from Myanmar’s military regime that will superficially look positive,” he said in a post on Facebook. “They are attempting to soften up international opinion, and to divert attention from what’s happening right now — the sordid coronation of Min Aung Hlaing and his thieving buffoons.”
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