In a move that is expected to help Myanmar junta’s leader, General Min Aung Hlaing, legally consolidate power in the future, the country’s top officials have been replaced by new figures in the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).
U Khin Yi—a brigadier general, former chief of the country’s police, and one of Min Aung Hlaing’s right-hand men—has assumed his new role as the secretary general of the USDP.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity to Myanmar Now, a retired army officer who is close to the party, said that Min Aung Hlaing wants “no surprises” to “stand in his way as he cements control over the party in the coming days.” “Khin Yi will be a figurehead leader. They’ve already agreed that the party will operate under Min Aung Hlaing’s directions. So everything will go according to plan at the conference, including the election of a new chair and the formation of a new central executive committee,” he said.
U Khin Yi’s appointment came a day after the USDP’s former chairman, U Than Htay, announced his resignation from the post during his opening speech at a party conference. U Than Htay said he made the decision due to a combination of health issues as well as his failure to lead the party to victory in the 2020 general elections. The former chief added that he felt responsible for failing to save the lives of more than 2,000 party members who were allegedly killed during last year’s deadly coup.
Khin Yi, newly elected chairman of Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) – a party known as fully affiliated with the military regime of Myanmar – vows to wake up the party in a new way.
— Chindwin News Agency (@TheChindwin) October 6, 2022
Photo/Handout pic.twitter.com/g3pD1wJlE7
In addition to promoting U Khin Yi as party leader, a party source claimed that the military chief is also planning to retire more than 600 military personnel to help fill the party’s ranks, half of whom will be hired by the junta’s ministries while the other half will join the USDP.
“The majority will be colonels. They are electing Khin Yi as the new chair partly for this reason. Than Htay wanted half of the party’s members to be military and the other half civilians. However, the party is now going to be filled with retired army officers,” the anonymous source said.
Observers warn that the new high-ranking appointments are people close to the junta leader. They are also of the view that the latest party reforms were possibly made with the view of the upcoming elections that are expected to be held in 2023. In order to gain legitimacy by winning the elections and becoming the country’s democratically elected president, the army chief would require the support of the party.
Myanmar’s 2008 Constitution mandates that Min Aung Hlaing must hold a general election next year after the emergency mandate expires. The current constitution also sets a two-term limit for the country’s head, meaning that the military chief could stay in power for a decade.
However, although Min Aung Hlaing has been taking all necessary steps to cement his control over the proxy party, some observers point out that his reluctance to announce an election date indicates some uncertainty. In fact, during his visit to Russia last month, the army chief declined to confirm whether elections would be held next August as promised, saying that a decision has not been made yet.
Since the coup last February, it is estimated that more than 2,000 people have been killed, 14,000 arrested, and over 700,000 displaced. Meanwhile, ousted democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi currently faces nearly a dozen cases that carry a combined maximum sentence of more than 100 years in prison.