Myanmar’s parliament on Friday named Prime Minister Thein Sein as the country’s first
civilian president in half a century.
The military's delegates in parliament
and their civilian allies hold an 80 percent majority in the new legislature, which
handpicked the new president from a pool of three vice presidents named yesterday.
Director
of Burma Campaign UK, Mark Farmaner told Vatican Radio this is exactly what has been
expected. “This is a former general who is very close to Thang Shwe and was Prime
Minister before the election. He is very much a ‘yes’ man, Thang Shwe will see him
as a totally reliable president who will follow any order he is given.”
Listen
to Mark Farmaner’s interview with John Kelly: