Myanmar’s military-appointed president Myint Swe dies at 74 after year-long health decline

Myanmar’s military-appointed acting president, Myint Swe, died Thursday morning at the age of 74, the country’s ruling junta announced. He had been suspended from his ceremonial duties since last year due to deteriorating health.

“President U Myint Swe passed away at 8:28 am this morning,” the junta said in a statement, confirming he died at a hospital in the capital, Naypyidaw. He had reportedly been suffering from Parkinson’s disease and was recently placed in intensive care due to weight loss, loss of appetite, fever, and cognitive decline.

The junta said his funeral would be held with full state honours.

A former general and key military figure, Myint Swe was named acting president in 2021 following the military coup that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. While the presidency in Myanmar is largely symbolic, his appointment served to legitimize the military’s takeover, which handed real power to army chief Min Aung Hlaing.

In July 2024, Min Aung Hlaing officially assumed Myint Swe’s presidential role after the latter’s health declined, consolidating his control over both the military and civilian leadership structures.

Myint Swe had also served as vice president under Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government, before backing the 2021 coup that plunged Myanmar into ongoing civil conflict. The coup triggered widespread protests, a brutal crackdown, and a growing armed resistance movement, with ethnic insurgents and pro-democracy groups uniting against junta rule.

Suu Kyi remains imprisoned more than four years after the coup.

Last week, Min Aung Hlaing declared an end to the nationwide state of emergency imposed during the takeover, and shifted power — officially — back to the presidential office, which he now holds. He also promised elections by December, though no date has been announced. Opposition groups have vowed to boycott the vote, and a UN expert has labeled the planned polls a “fraud” meant to legitimize military rule.

Myint Swe’s death marks the end of a long military career closely tied to both the army’s dominance and the nation’s political turmoil.