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Myanmar’s figurehead president who came to power after a 2021 coup, Myint Swe, has died, the South East Asian nation’s military leaders said. He was 74.<\/p>\n
Before his death, Myint Swe had <\/b>been on medical leave for over a year due to declining health.<\/p>\n
Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has been performing Myint Swe’s largely ceremonial duties since July 2024.<\/p>\n
The country’s junta named Myint Swe acting president after it overthrew the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
He died in a hospital in the capital Nay Pyi Taw at 08:28 local time (02:58 GMT) Thursday due to “neurodegenerative diseases and related neurological disorders”, the junta said.<\/p>\n
A state funeral has been scheduled for Myint Swe, it said.<\/p>\n
As acting president, he endorsed multiple extensions to the country’s state of emergency.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper published a junta statement announcing that Myint Swe was in a “critical condition”, after he “experienced weight loss, loss of appetite, fever, and a decline in cognitive function” in July. <\/p>\n
In early 2023 Myint Swe “began experiencing sluggishness in movement and the ability to consume food and nutrients”, the statement said.<\/p>\n
It added that he received treatment in Singapore in April 2024 and went on medical leave in July 2024.<\/p>\n
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the 2021 coup, with a civil war persisting between junta forces and ethnic armed groups.<\/p>\n
Min Aung Hlaing announced in March that the country would hold a national election in December 2025 or January 2026 – the first vote since the junta seized power in the coup.<\/p>\n
But critics say the election is a sham designed to maintain the junta’s power through proxy political parties.<\/p>\n
Last week, Myanmar’s junta ended the state of emergency and transferred power to an interim government to pave the way for the election.<\/p>\n
But Min Aung Hlaing, who remains the acting president and military chief, retains de facto control over the country’s leadership.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n