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Myanmar parliament elects Aung San Suu Kyi loyalist as new president

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NAYPYITAW: Myanmar's parliament has elected Win Myint, a loyalist of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, as new president.

Suu Kyi, who formal title is state counsellor, has retained her executive authority over the government.

The 66-year-old Win Myint succeeds Htin Kyaw, who retired last week for reasons of ill health.

The vote comes as Myanmar's civilian government has struggled to implement peace and national reconciliation, with the powerful military still embroiled in combat with ethnic rebels and under heavy international criticism for its brutal counterinsurgency campaign against the Muslim Rohingya minority.

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