Or “when is a president not a president?”
As previously mentioned, on Tuesday 15 March, I and a large number of my fellow Yangon/Myanmar residents, watched with a considerable level on interest some actually pretty boring proceedings in the Pyithu Hluttaw (Myanmar House of Reps).
First there was all the MPs actually voting. Then there was the counting of all the votes to make sure it tallied with the number of MPs in the Hluttaw that day (there were a few absences). Then the votes were split up into the appropriate Democracy BasketsTM, one for each of the three candidates. Then, candidate by candidate, the ballots were tipped into a fourth basket, then counted back into the candidate’s basket. And in this very Myanmar way was U Htin Kyaw elected president. With U Myint Swe (military nominee) first vice president and U Henry Van Thio (Chin MP, NLD) second vice president.
Just like going to the tally room