Myint Swe (Burmese: မြင့်ဆွေ; pronounced[mjɪ̰ɰ̃sʰwè]; born 24 May 1951[2]) is a Burmese politician and retired army officer who is currently Vice President of Myanmar since 30 March 2016 and previously served as Acting President of Myanmar from 1 February 2021 to 22 July 2024 making him the longest serving Acting President in Myanmar history.[3][4] He also served as the acting president after the resignation of President Htin Kyaw from 21 March 2018 to 30 March 2018, and the chief minister of Yangon Region from 30 March 2011 to 30 March 2016. A member of the military proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party, he is an ethnic Mon former lieutenant general in the Myanmar Army.[5][6]
Myint Swe was declared acting president by the Tatmadaw in the coup d'état on 1 February 2021, after which he immediately declared a state of emergency and formally transferred power to coup leader Min Aung Hlaing.[7][8][9][10] Throughout his political career, Myint Swe has worked to ensure the Tatmadaw's influence in politics. He has rarely been seen in public since the coup, with Min Aung Hlaing serving as the face of the government.[11] Myint Swe's main role in the military government was to formally grant and renew Min Aung Hlaing's emergency powers.
He executed 3 major events while he was commanding the Yangon Command, arresting family members of General Ne Win in 2002 after an alleged coup conspiracy was uncovered, arresting Khin Nyunt and his associates in 2004 in the purge of the Military Intelligence faction and crushing the Saffron Revolution in 2007. His actions after Cyclone Nargis was criticized. He dealt with activists harshly in the pre-2010 general election period.[14]
On 11 March 2016, military-appointed MPs of the Assembly of the Union nominated him as one of the Vice Presidents of Myanmar. He received 213 votes on 15 March 2016 and became First Vice President of Htin Kyaw's Cabinet.[16] He was sworn in on 30 March 2016.
Acting President
On 21 March 2018, following the sudden resignation of Htin Kyaw as President of Myanmar, Myint Swe was sworn in as acting president under the Constitution of Myanmar, which also called for the Assembly to select a new president within seven days of Htin Kyaw's resignation.
On 1 February 2021, President Win Myint was removed from office in a coup and detained by the Tatmadaw (Myanmar's military), so Myint Swe would become Acting President, allowing him to call a meeting of the military-controlled National Defence and Security Council (NDSC) and declare a state of emergency and formally transfer power to coup leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. The military maintains that Myint Swe constitutionally assumed the presidency because the constitution states the first vice president becomes acting president if the presidency becomes vacant due to "resignation, death, permanent disability or any other cause". However, according to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, this interpretation is questionable as the military had no legal authority to detain Win Myint and the constitution provides for an impeachment and removal process which was not followed.[17]
Myint Swe extended the state of emergency five times[18][19] by six month periods at meetings of the NSDC, but did not otherwise participated in government. The third extension was especially controversial because the constitution says up to two extensions are "normally" allowed. Myint Swe acknowledged this but justified the extension due to what he said are "unusual circumstances".[11][20][21] The junta-packed[17]Constitutional Tribunal affirmed his interpretation.[22][23]
In a November 2023 meeting of the NSDC, Myint Swe warned that the country was at risk of being "split into various parts" amid the civil war.[24]
On 18 July 2024, state media in Myanmar reported that Myint Swe was suffering from neurological disorders and peripheral neuropathy disease, adding that he had been receiving medical treatment since early in 2024 and was unable to eat or carry out other basic functions.[25] On 22 July 2024, he took medical leave and transferred his duties as president to Min Aung Hlaing on an acting basis.[26]
