Myanmar’s figurehead president Myint Swe dies after long illness

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.

Before his death, Myint Swe had been on medical leave for over a year due to declining health.

Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has been performing Myint Swe’s largely ceremonial duties since July 2024.

The country’s junta named Myint Swe acting president in February 2021, after it overthrew the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

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.

A state funeral has been scheduled for Myint Swe, it said.

As acting president, he endorsed multiple extensions to the country’s state of emergency.

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.

In early 2023 Myint Swe “began experiencing sluggishness in movement and the ability to consume food and nutrients”, the statement said.

It added that he received treatment in Singapore in April 2024 and went on medical leave in July 2024.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the 2021 coup, with a civil war persisting between junta forces and ethnic armed groups.

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.

But critics say the election is a sham designed to maintain the junta’s power through proxy political parties.

Last week, Myanmar’s junta ended the state of emergency and transferred power to an interim government to pave the way for the election.

But Min Aung Hlaing, who remains the acting president and military chief, retains de facto control over the country’s leadership.