Rabat – Myint Swe, the figurehead President of the Myanmar military junta, died at the age of 74, on 7 August, state broadcaster MRTV reported.
MRTV stated that the President had died on Thursday at 08:28 local time due to “neurodegenerative diseases and related neurological disorders.” He died at a hospital in the nation’s capital Nay Pyi Taw.
A state funeral has been called for Myint Swe, which will likely take place around the capital city under military supervision.
He had been made the figurehead president during the military coup of 2021, which removed the civilian democratic government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myint Swe’s role was largely ceremonial within the government, as he was used to sign official documents and try to give the military government a veneer of legitimacy.
However, in April 2024, Swe had received medical treatment in Singapore. By July, he was put on long-term medical leave as he was struggling with several serious health problems; most of his duties were passed to the military.
This forced retirement was after he had, according to a military spokesman, “experienced weight loss, loss of appetite, fever, and a decline in cognitive function,” as well as “began experiencing sluggishness in movement and the ability to consume food and nutrients.”
Myanmar has been engulfed in political turmoil since the 2021 coup, which started a civil war between the junta military forces and ethnic armed groups.
This has led to a number of human rights violations, displacement of populations, and crimes against humanity. In March 2025, a massive earthquake ripped the country in half, killing 5,352 people.
However, in March, Min Aung Hlaing said that the country would hold a national democratic election in either December 2025 or January 2026, which would be the first vote since the Junta took control.
Last week, the Junta ended the state of emergency and transferred power to an interim government to pave the way for the elections.
Despite this, many critics of the military government have condemned the elections as a sham designed to allow proxy political parties to keep the military in power.
