The 69-year-old secured the presidency following a parliamentary vote broadcast live from Naypyitaw, where lawmakers aligned with the army-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party and constitutionally mandated military appointees ensured a decisive outcome.

His elevation follows elections held in December and January that delivered a sweeping victory to the military-backed party, polls widely criticized by Western governments and opposition groups as lacking credibility and designed to entrench military rule under a civilian façade.

Min Aung Hlaing, who has led Myanmar’s armed forces since 2011, recently oversaw a leadership reshuffle within the military, appointing loyalist Ye Win Oo as commander-in-chief after being nominated for the presidency earlier this week. Analysts view the transition as a calculated move to retain influence over both civilian and military institutions while seeking greater international legitimacy.

The general seized power in the February 2021 coup, detaining Suu Kyi and other senior leaders, an event that triggered mass protests and evolved into an entrenched civil war involving pro-democracy forces and ethnic armed groups.

Despite the formal political transition, fighting continues across multiple regions. This week, anti-junta factions, including elements linked to Suu Kyi’s political movement and ethnic militias, announced the formation of a broader alliance aimed at dismantling military rule and establishing a federal democratic system.

Analysts say the consolidation of power under Min Aung Hlaing could lead to intensified military operations against resistance forces, while also prompting regional actors to reassess diplomatic engagement with Myanmar’s leadership amid ongoing instability and economic strain.

Speaking alongside Syrian transitional President Ahmed Al-Sharaa in Berlin, Merz said both governments were seeking to create conditions that would allow more Syrians to return voluntarily to their homeland.

Germany hosts the largest Syrian diaspora in the European Union, with more than one million Syrians, many of whom arrived during the 2015–2016 migrant influx.“We are working jointly toward more Syrians being able to return to their homeland,” Merz said at a joint press conference.

Sharaa said Damascus and Berlin were exploring a “circular” migration framework that would allow Syrians to participate in rebuilding their country while retaining the option to remain in Germany.

Such a model would enable returnees to contribute to reconstruction efforts without permanently relinquishing the economic and social stability they have established abroad, he said.

Merz said Germany intended to support Syria’s reconstruction after years of civil war, adding that a German delegation would travel to Syria in the coming days to advance cooperation.

However, he stressed that deeper bilateral engagement would depend on progress toward establishing rule-of-law institutions.

“Many joint projects in the future will depend on our finding a state governed by the rule of law,” Merz said, adding that he was confident such conditions could be achieved following discussions with Sharaa.

The resolution, which calls for Syria’s new government to support inquiries into crimes committed during the conflict that started in 2011, passed without opposition at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Friday.

It indicates a shift in support by the 47 country members of the council toward Syria’s new government and its efforts to improve its rights record.

“Such international support serves as a strong incentive to continue the path of reform,” Syria’s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Haydar Ali Ahmad, told the council.

Rebels led by the now president of the new transitional government, Ahmed al-Sharaa, seized the capital Damascus in December. Assad fled to Russia, following the 13 years of civil war that led to the disappearance of more than 100,000 people and the use of torture and chemical weapons by the regime.

Under pressure to show that it is turning a new page from the former regime, Syria’s new government welcomed the resolution on Friday.

“We are proud of Syria’s positive and constructive participation in drafting the resolution for the first time,” Syria Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said in a statement posted on X.

Members of the council welcomed Syria’s engagement on Friday and urged it to uphold the resolution’s commitments, including the Commission of Inquiry into serious crimes since the start of the war.

British Ambassador to the U.N. Simon Manley said the killing of hundreds of Alwaite civilians – the minority sect from which toppled leader Bashir al-Assad hails – in March was a “chilling reminder of the deep wounds” from the conflict, and the need for justice and accountability.