Myanmar President U Thein Sein has resigned as chairman of the ruling
Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), according to the party’s
Union Daily.
His party post was replaced by the party’s Vice Chairman U Shwe Mann, the paper said.
The
country’s 2008 Constitution states that “if the president and the vice
presidents are members of a political party, they shall not take part in
its party activities during their term of office from the day of their
election”.
A decision to handover the chairman’s post to first
Vice President Shwe Mann was announced at the USDP’s Youth Conference on
May 1.
Quitting his military title of general, U Thein Sein
formed the USDP in April 2010 to run the general election in November
the same year. At the election the USDP won the majority of the
parliamentary seats, becoming the ruling party and he was elected as
representative to the House of Representatives.
In March 2011, U Thein Sein won the presidential election for a five-year term of office.
In
October 2012, the USDP held its first party conference in Nay Pyi Taw
but made no major change in its reorganisation set-up with its top
leadership.
At present, there are 58 legal political parties in
Myanmar , of which the USDP and the National League for Democracy are
leading.-VNA