Myanmar's former coup leader, Min Aung Hlaing, has been elected president by a pro-military parliament, passing the majority threshold to formalise his grip on political power in the country. The 69-year-old general, who orchestrated a 2021 coup against the administration of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi and placed her under arrest, was among three candidates nominated for the presidency. This transition follows a controversial election in December and January that was won by an army-backed party. Despite this, the civil war that has ravaged Myanmar for much of the last five years continues, with some anti-military groups forming a new combined front to take on the military.