Just seven days after he made the fateful decision to launch his coup against the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on 1 February 2021, General Min Aung Hlaing made a promise; to hold elections, and return to civilian rule, within a year.
It has taken him five years to fulfill that promise.
Today, the newly-elected parliament chose him to be the next president. Min Aung Hlaing has already stepped down as armed forces commander, as required by the constitution before he can take the post of president.
But this is civilian rule in name only.
The parliament, sitting for the first time since the coup, is filled with his loyalists. With the armed forces guaranteed one quarter of the seats, and the military's own party, the USDP, winning nearly 80% of the remaining seats in an election which was tilted heavily in its favour, this was a preordained outcome. More of a coronation, than an election.
Military men are also likely to dominate the new government when it is formed. Min Aung Hlaing has ensured that a staunch ally, General Ye Win Oo, a hardliner with a reputation for brutality, replaces him at the head of the armed forces.
He has also created a new consultative council, which will exercise paramount authority over civilian and military affairs. He is ensuring that in taking off his uniform, he does not dilute his power.
For young activists like Kyaw Win – not his real name – all hope of change has gone. As a student he was arrested for taking part in a flash mob protest against the coup in 2022, and tortured for a week, before being jailed. He was only recently released.
They beat me on my back with an iron rod. They burned me with cigarettes, and slashed my thigh with a knife. Then they stripped my underwear and sexually assaulted me. They interrogated me, but it was never clear what they wanted me to say.
The five years since Min Aung Hlaing's coup have been a catastrophe for Myanmar. His decision to use lethal force against the mass protests which broke out across the country ignited a civil war which has killed thousands, displaced millions and ruined the economy.
The military regime has ceded control of huge areas of the country to the armed resistance. It has responded by unleashing its air power on opposition-controlled villages with indiscriminate attacks that have destroyed schools, homes and hospitals.
The UN estimates that more than 16 million people are now in need of life-saving assistance. The number of those displaced by the war is approaching four million. Runaway inflation has collapsed living standards.
Min Aung Hlaing's coup has dealt a staggering blow to the economy. The difference between now and 10 years ago is like night and day, said Tin Oo, a motorbike taxi driver in Yangon's industrial district of Hlaing Tharyar. We cannot earn enough even to cover our rent and food.
As Min Aung Hlaing presided over the annual military parade, the speech reflected no regret for the chaos he has caused, instead insisting that the military was upholding democracy. Meanwhile, opposition groups continue their fight against the military's authority.
While it is clear that Min Aung Hlaing intends to tighten his hold on power, the bleak reality for Myanmar remains unchanged for most citizens.
