DHAKA: Myanmar’s National League for Democracy (NLD) has named two candidates, as the country starts the process of selecting a new president.

One of them, Htin Kyaw, is almost certain to be elected president by the NLD-controlled parliament, reports the BBC.

The nominations confirm that NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi will not be president of the country.

However, Suu Kyi has previously said she would be “above” the president.

She tried right to the last. But in the end there was no deal. Despite a huge win in the election, Aung San Suu Kyi failed to convince the army that her destiny was the presidency.

Clause 59F of the constitution which bars her because her sons have British not Burmese passports remains in place, and she has now chosen someone else.

It’s Htin Kyaw, a fellow Oxford graduate she’s known all her life. He's a committed member of the party and was by her side when Suu Kyi was released from house arrest in 2010.

The NLD nominations are the first step in the process of choosing a new president which will happen over the next few days.

The party has named Htin Kyaw as its lower house nominee for vice president. It has also named Henry Vantriu, an MP from the Chin ethnic minority, as its upper house nominee.

Both houses will separately choose between the NLD's candidates and those from other parties.

The winner from each house will go on to a second vote to decide the president of the country. A military nominated candidate will also compete in this vote.

The two losing candidates will become vice-presidents.

Htin Kyaw, who is part of Suu Kyi’s inner circle, is almost certain to win since the NLD dominates both houses.

The NLD won the majority of non-military seats available in parliament in last year's historic general election.

But the army - which still controls a quarter of all parliamentary seats, remains a significant force in Burmese politics.

BDST: 1146 HRS, MAR 10, 2016
SR