Describing the power transition as a “constitutional repackaging of continued military rule”, Kyaw Hsan Hlaing, a PhD student researching governance at Cornell University, said the recent polls were not a “general election” but one designed for generals.

The strongman, he said, was trying to shift from junta chief and coup leader to formal head of state without giving up the military’s underlying dominance.

“The regime’s priority remains preserving cohesion at the top while trying to give military rule a more constitutional appearance. By installing Ye Win Oo, he appears to be prioritising personal loyalty and regime cohesion over any serious change in war strategy,” Kyaw Hsan said.

As the Arakan Army (AA) gains more ground against the forces of the state Administration Council (SAC) regime in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, analysts are asking questions about the AA’s administrative capacity.

The AA has steadily gained momentum against SAC troops since November last year, when it opened a new front as a part of Operation 1027, a coordinated attack against SAC forces that started in October 2023, primarily in northern Myanmar.

Since its formation in 2009 with the aim of greater...

It is a contrast to what’s happening in the country’s northwestern Rakhine state. There, residents like former village administrator Khaing Maung San say they are experiencing a state of relative calm that’s at odds with the mounting violence and economic disruption engulfing the rest of the country.

That state of affairs is a result of a ceasefire dating back to November 2020 – three months before Min Aung Hlaing’s coup – between the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army, Rakhine’s main rebel group whi...

A Myanmar soldier stands guard near an airfield in Rakhine state in 2018. Photo: AFP