Figurehead president of military-ruled Myanmar dies aged 74

According to state media, Myint Swe, who has led Myanmar’s military-backed president, passed away at the age of 74 after a lengthy medical leave.

A statement from the government on Thursday made it known that he had passed away.

The statement read, “President U Myint Swe passed away this morning at 8:28 am,” adding that Myint Swe will receive a state funeral.

Myint Swe, a former general, was elected president of Myanmar in 2021 following the military’s overthrow of Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government.

Prior to the military’s takeover, he held a number of senior leadership positions, including the position of first vice president during a semi-democratic era that ended in 2021.

Myint Swe, the commander-in-chief of Myanmar’s military, was given command of the coup, and Myint Swe served as the figurehead leader carrying out ceremonial duties.

Myint Swe took a medical leave of absence last year because of the effects of Parkinson’s disease, and Min Aung Hlaing took over as Myanmar’s “acting president” of the country, according to reports.

According to state media, Myint Swe was battling “weight loss, loss of appetite, fever, and a decline in cognitive function” at the time of his death. He had been taken to a military hospital in Naypyidaw, the capital.

His death comes a week after Min Aung Hlaing, the country’s military leader, declared a state of emergency in response to a tumultuous civil war and demanded that December elections be held.

In advance of the vote, the military also formally gave authority to a civilian-led interim government, but observers claim Min Aung Hlaing has retained the supreme position of power in the armed forces.

The military government’s campaign of holding elections is seen as a de-escalation of years of bloody political unrest that have swept the nation since it came to power.

Opposition organizations have pledged to stage a poll-detour.

Since 2021, Myanmar has been at war with pro-democracy protests, which pro-democracy protests have since escalated to a violent uprising, which has been compounded by the emergence of armed ethnic groups.

Large portions of the nation have since lost to the military-backed government.