Min Aung Hlaing, head of the coup regime who became president after being elected by a rubber-stamp parliament formed through a junta-controlled election, has submitted a list of 30 cabinet nominees to parliament, many of them are retired generals.
This suggests Min Aung Hlaing is simply reinstating his longtime loyalists in the new government formed through the sham election. The list indicates that retired generals and major generals are poised to dominate not only key security ministries—such as defense, home affairs, and border affairs—but also economic and social portfolios.
“Although it’s labeled a quasi-civilian government, it remains a system where retired military officers are in charge, leaving little chance of major policy reforms as the military continues to control the country,” a political analyst said.
Among the nominees for cabinet posts, 20 are reinstated ministers from the coup regime, including Minister of Home Affairs Lieutenant General Nyunt Win Swe, Minister of Defence Tun Aung, and Minister of Border Affairs Lieutenant General Phone Myat, all of whom continue to hold military positions.
Additionally, senior figures from the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which won the junta-manipulated election—U Myo Zaw Thein, U Khin Maung Soe, and U Maung Myint—have also been nominated for ministerial posts.
“Most of the candidates proposed for the cabinet are military officers or veterans, so the military-style chain of command between the president and the ministers will stay strong. It’s clear that the government the people want—with civilian experts—is barely represented,” a source close to the administration in capital Naypyidaw told NMG.
The oldest nominee for the cabinet is 81-year-old Women’s Affairs Minister Doctor Thet Thet Zin. Minister of Finance Doctor Kan Zaw, Minister of Legal Affairs and Union Attorney-General Doctor Thida Oo, and Minister of Health Doctor Thet Khine Win—who all served in the coup regime—have also been renominated for their current posts.
MPs who want to oppose the proposed ministerial candidates can notify parliament, and the people’s parliament will debate their appointments on April 9.
The new so-called government, largely composed of former generals, faces strong domestic and international criticism. Critics argue it is designed to extend the military dictatorship rather than bring stability, and the public lacks confidence in its legitimacy.
