Myanmar's ruling party secures 2 seats of presidential candidates

Central executive committee member of the National League for Democracy U Htin Kyaw arrives for the opening of the new parliament in Naypyitaw February 1, 2016.[Photo/Agencies]

NAY PYI TAW -- Myanmar's two Houses Friday elected U Htin Kyaw and U Henry Van Htee Yu of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) as two of the three vice presidents to be submitted to the two-House Union Parliament for a presidential race after qualification scrutiny.

U Htin Kyaw, elected by the group of presidential electoral college of the House of Representatives (Lower House), won against Sa Mauk Kham, nominated by the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) by a vote of 274-29.

U Henry Van Htee Yu, elected by the group of presidential electoral college of the House of Nationalities (Upper House), won against U Khin Aung Myint, nominated by the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) by a vote of 148-14.

Meanwhile, the military MPs, which account for 25 percent in the parliament, elected U Myint Swe, current Yangon Region Chief Minister, as the other vice president for the presidential race.

The parliament set three groups representing the two Houses and military MPs to nominate one final candidate each for the presidential run and through voting, the one, that wins the most number of votes, will take the presidency, while the remaining two will become vice presidents.

Voting for the presidency with the finalized three vice presidents is expected to be conducted on March 17 or 18 when the Union Parliament reconvenes.

U Htin Kyaw, a non-elected parliament representative, was born in Kunchangon town as son of noted writer Min Shu Wun.

A classmate with Aung San Suu Kyi in Yangon Methodist High School, U Htin Kyaw attended the Yangon University of Economics in 1962 and graduated with a degree of master of Economics.

As the first scholarship winning student of the Yangon Computer Department, he was sent for further study to Britain.

He resigned as a government employee in 1992 and joined the NLD, continuing writing under his father's pen name.

He is also an executive officer of the Daw Khin Kyi Foundation, a charitable organization named after Aung San Suu Kyi's mother.

As the most trusted person by Aung San Suu Kyi, U Htin Kyaw was nominated by the NLD as a candidate for presidential run.

Aung San Suu Kyi described U Htin Kyaw as an intellectual with loyalty and discipline, respected by the international and will be liked by the people.

U Htin Kyaw is believed to follow Aung San Suu Kyi's foreign policy of making friends with neighboring countries which cannot be chosen.

Aung San Suu Kyi, in her latest interview with Xinhua after the general election, said Myanmar will continue to adopt a friendly foreign policy with all countries including China and place more emphasis on relations with its neighbors.

Since independence, Myanmar has always been adopting a friendly foreign policy with all countries, which is the correct policy for the country, she told Xinhua, adding that the NLD could successfully implement such a policy.

U Henry Van Htee Yu, elected as a representative to the House of Nationalities from Chin state constituency-3, was an ex-military officer who served in the armed forces for 20 years. He resigned from military at the rank of major, after which he worked for the Ministry of Industry for nine years.

U Henry Van Htee Yu, who is a Chin national and a Christian, holds a diploma in law.

U Myint Swe, current Yangon Region Chief Minister, was a former lieutenant-general. Born in 1951, he is a Mon ethnic and served as Southeastern Commander and member of the previous military government in 2001. He was transferred as Yangon Region Commander and promoted as major-general. He became the Chief of military Security Affairs after former Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt was removed in 2004 and then became Chief of Bureau of Special Operation-5 in in 2006.

The elected president and two vice presidents will be sworn-in at the parliament on March 30, while the handover of the duties of head of state is set to be carried out at the Presidential Palace as a follow-up to complete the process.