Myanmar President Myint Swe dies at 74 after long illness
Before his death, Myint Swe had been on medical leave since July 2024 due to declining health, with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing stepping in to perform his official duties.
Myanmar’s president Myint Swe, who assumed the largely ceremonial role following the 2021 military coup, has died at the age of 74 after battling illness for more than a year, the country’s military leaders have announced.
According to the junta, Myint Swe died at 08:28 local time (02:58 GMT) on Thursday at a hospital in the capital Nay Pyi Taw from “neurodegenerative diseases and related neurological disorders.” A state funeral has been planned in his honour.
Before his death, Myint Swe had been on medical leave since July 2024 due to declining health, with junta leader Min Aung Hlaing stepping in to perform his official duties.
The military appointed him acting president in February 2021 after ousting the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
As acting president, Myint Swe approved several extensions to the country’s state of emergency, which the junta maintained for years as conflict continued between military forces and ethnic armed groups.
Details of his deteriorating health were revealed on Wednesday in the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar, which quoted a junta statement saying Myint Swe had been in “critical condition” after experiencing weight loss, loss of appetite, fever, and reduced cognitive function since July.
The statement noted that in early 2023, he “began experiencing sluggishness in movement and the ability to consume food and nutrients.”
It added that he received medical treatment in Singapore in April 2024 before taking extended leave three months later.
Myanmar has been in political and economic turmoil since the military takeover, with ongoing civil war and widespread unrest. In March, Min Aung Hlaing announced plans to hold a national election in December 2025 or January 2026, the first since the coup.
However, opponents have dismissed the proposed vote as a strategy to prolong military rule through proxy parties.
Last week, the junta ended the state of emergency and handed power to an interim administration to prepare for the election. Despite the change, Min Aung Hlaing, who remains acting president and military chief, continues to hold ultimate authority over the country’s leadership.
