The short answer
Myanmar has had seven vice-presidents since the two-office system began in 2011. This chronology explains why there are first and second vice-presidents, how three parliamentary groups rank the president and deputies, what happened after two resignations and why the post-2021 succession must be described as constitutionally disputed.
Complete officeholder table
Every first and second vice-president of Myanmar
Myanmar has two concurrent vice-presidents. The labels “first” and “second” reflect the candidates’ ranking in the presidential electoral college, not two offices elected separately by the public. Sai Mauk Kham appears twice because Tin Aung Myint Oo’s resignation moved him from second to first vice-president.
| Vice-president | Rank | Term | President or administration | Nominating group |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tin Aung Myint Oo | First | 30 Mar 2011–1 Jul 2012 | Thein Sein | Military representatives |
| Sai Mauk Kham | Second | 30 Mar 2011–1 Jul 2012 | Thein Sein | Upper-house representatives |
| Sai Mauk Kham | First | 1 Jul 2012–30 Mar 2016 | Thein Sein | Advanced after first-VP vacancy |
| Nyan Tun | Second | 15 Aug 2012–30 Mar 2016 | Thein Sein | Military representatives |
| Myint Swe | First | 30 Mar 2016–7 Aug 2025 | Htin Kyaw, Win Myint; disputed acting presidency | Military representatives |
| Henry Van Thio | Second | 30 Mar 2016–22 Apr 2024 | Htin Kyaw and Win Myint; nominal post-coup tenure | Upper-house representatives |
| Nyo Saw | First | 10 Apr 2026–present | Min Aung Hlaing | Military representatives |
| Nan Ni Ni Aye | Second | 10 Apr 2026–present | Min Aung Hlaing | Upper-house representatives |
Chronology
A timeline of the turning points
The first presidential electoral college votes
Thein Sein ranked first, Tin Aung Myint Oo second and Sai Mauk Kham third; all three took office on 30 March.
Tin Aung Myint Oo resigns
His health-related resignation advanced Sai Mauk Kham to first vice-president and opened the first replacement process.
Nyan Tun fills the vacancy
Parliament elected the retiring navy commander as second vice-president on the military group’s nomination.
The NLD-era electoral college ranks three candidates
Htin Kyaw became president, military nominee Myint Swe first vice-president and Chin nominee Henry Van Thio second vice-president.
Myint Swe briefly acts as president
The first vice-president performed the presidency after Htin Kyaw resigned and before Parliament elected Win Myint.
The coup creates a disputed succession
After Win Myint was detained, Myint Swe declared an emergency as acting president; a UN legal analysis found that the transfer violated the Constitution.
Henry Van Thio retires
The second vice-president left office for health reasons after a largely nominal post-coup tenure, and no replacement followed.
Myint Swe takes medical leave and later dies
He transferred presidential duties to Min Aung Hlaing during treatment and died in office, leaving the first vice-presidential line vacant.
Nyo Saw and Nan Ni Ni Aye become vice-presidents
The military-dominated electoral college selected them and they took office with President Min Aung Hlaing on 10 April.
Why does Myanmar have two vice-presidents?
The 2008 Constitution created a presidential electoral college made from three parliamentary groups: elected members of the Pyithu Hluttaw, elected members of the Amyotha Hluttaw and military representatives appointed to both chambers. Each group nominates one candidate who must satisfy the presidential qualifications. All Union Parliament members then vote on those three names.
The candidate with the highest total becomes president. The other two become vice-presidents, with their order determined by the final ranking. “First” and “second” therefore describe constitutional seniority after the same indirect presidential vote; they are not two separate offices filled through popular election.
Who were Myanmar’s first vice-presidents?
The first electoral college met after the military-managed 2010 election. The lower-house group nominated former prime minister Thein Sein, the military group nominated former general Tin Aung Myint Oo and the upper-house group nominated Shan physician Sai Mauk Kham. Thein Sein became president, while the other two became first and second vice-president when the government took office on 30 March 2011.
Their appointment marked the formal end of the State Peace and Development Council, but not a clean separation from military rule. The president and first vice-president had both held senior SPDC roles, one quarter of Parliament remained reserved for serving officers and the commander-in-chief retained protected authority over key security ministries.
What happened when Tin Aung Myint Oo resigned?
Tin Aung Myint Oo’s resignation took effect on 1 July 2012 after reports of illness and treatment abroad. Sai Mauk Kham moved from second to first vice-president. The Constitution required the group that had nominated the departing official—the military representatives—to choose a replacement within the prescribed vacancy procedure.
The initial process was delayed by eligibility questions around military nominee Myint Swe. Admiral Nyan Tun was eventually nominated and elected second vice-president on 15 August. This was the first practical test of replacement rules for an office that had existed for only sixteen months.
How did the 2015 election change the executive?
The NLD’s landslide in November 2015 gave it control of both elected parliamentary groups. The lower house nominated Htin Kyaw, the upper house nominated Henry Van Thio and the military bloc nominated Myint Swe. On 15 March 2016 the electoral college gave Htin Kyaw 360 votes, Myint Swe 213 and Henry Van Thio 79.
The result made Myint Swe first vice-president and Henry Van Thio second. Henry was the first ethnic Chin and first Christian to reach the office. Myint Swe later performed an ordinary acting presidency for nine days in March 2018, between Htin Kyaw’s resignation and Win Myint’s election.
Why is Myint Swe’s post-coup role disputed?
The military detained President Win Myint and other elected leaders before Parliament could convene on 1 February 2021. It presented Myint Swe as acting president, who declared an emergency and transferred authority to Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing. That sequence became the military administration’s claimed constitutional basis for the takeover.
A UN Special Rapporteur’s legal analysis found that Win Myint had not resigned or been impeached, so the presidency was never lawfully vacant and Myint Swe lacked authority to invoke the emergency provisions. The table records the office he exercised inside the military-controlled state while preserving that constitutional dispute rather than treating control as proof of legality.
Why were the offices vacant before April 2026?
Henry Van Thio remained nominally second vice-president after the coup but rarely appeared in public. The military authorities announced his retirement for health reasons on 22 April 2024 and did not fill the vacancy. Myint Swe took medical leave that July, transferring presidential duties to Min Aung Hlaing, and died on 7 August 2025.
The absence of replacements reflected the suspended and contested condition of the institutions created by the 2020 election. Military authorities instead maintained emergency bodies and later an interim government while organising a new election. Neither Min Aung Hlaing’s assumption of presidential duties nor his military leadership made him a vice-president during that gap.
Who are Myanmar’s current vice-presidents in 2026?
As reviewed on 4 October 2026, Nyo Saw is first vice-president and Nan Ni Ni Aye is second vice-president. The military parliamentary group nominated former general Nyo Saw; the upper-house group selected former educator and USDP legislator Nan Ni Ni Aye. The full electoral college ranked them behind Min Aung Hlaing on 3 April, and all three took office on 10 April.
Nan Ni Ni Aye is the first woman to hold either vice-presidential position. The appointments are official facts within the government that controls the central state, but the mandate is contested. The election occurred during civil war, excluded or dissolved major opposition parties and retained the military’s appointed bloc. The National Unity Government and other resistance actors reject the process as legitimate democratic succession.
Continue the chronology
Related history guides
Myanmar Presidents and Heads of State
Compare the vice-presidential sequence with every constitutional presidency, military council and rival post-coup claim.
Read the timeline1948–2026Myanmar Prime Ministers
Trace parliamentary premiers, junta cabinets, office gaps and the National Unity Government’s parallel claim.
Read the timeline2008–presentMyanmar’s 2008 Constitution Explained
Understand reserved military seats, the presidential electoral college and emergency provisions.
Read the timeline8 November 2015Myanmar’s 2015 General Election
See how the NLD landslide produced Htin Kyaw, Myint Swe and Henry Van Thio in the electoral college.
Read the timeline2015–2016Myanmar’s Democratic Transfer
Follow the negotiations and constitutional limits behind the peaceful handover.
Read the timeline2021–2026Myanmar’s Coup and Civil War
Place the disputed acting presidency, rival governments and 2026 election inside the wider conflict.
Read the timelineBiography context
Explore Myanmar through connected lives
Myanmar Biographies
Explore 57 sourced lives across politics, business, sport and culture.
Explore the biographiesPolitics collectionMyanmar Political Leaders
Compare 44 biographies across independence, military rule, minority rights and contested government.
Explore the biographiesCategory indexPolitical Biographies
Browse presidents, vice-presidents, prime ministers and institution-builders across Southeast Asia.
Explore the biographiesConnected biographies
Seven biographies behind Myanmar’s two vice-presidential offices
1950—
Tin Aung Myint Oo
General and first vice-president of Myanmar from 2011 to 2012The former SPDC secretary and military nominee who entered Myanmar’s new presidential executive in 2011, then left office after little more than a year.Read biography
1950—
Sai Mauk Kham
Physician and vice president of Myanmar from 2011 to 2016The Shan physician and cultural organiser who became vice president during Myanmar’s first post-junta government and then returned to parliament in the 2015 election.Read biography
1954—
Nyan Tun
Admiral, second vice-president and former member of ParliamentThe former navy commander who entered Thein Sein’s reform-era executive as second vice-president and later represented his home township in Parliament.Read biography
1951—2025
Myint Swe
Military officer, first vice-president and disputed acting presidentThe former general who became Yangon chief minister, military-selected first vice-president and the formal constitutional instrument of the 2021 takeover.Read biography
1958—
Henry Van Thio
Second vice president of Myanmar from 2016 to 2024The former army major and Chin State senator whose sudden nomination placed an ethnic Christian politician in Myanmar’s 2016 executive trio.Read biographyLiving
Nyo Saw
First vice-president and former military-appointed prime minister of MyanmarThe retired general and military-business executive who briefly headed the cabinet during the junta’s election transition and then became first vice-president.Read biography
1969—
Nan Ni Ni Aye
Second vice-president of Myanmar and former educatorThe Karen educator and USDP legislator who served two terms in the upper house before entering Myanmar’s disputed post-election executive.Read biographyQuick answers
Common questions
- Who was the first vice-president of Myanmar?
- Tin Aung Myint Oo became the first senior vice-president under the 2008 Constitution on 30 March 2011. Sai Mauk Kham entered office the same day as second vice-president.
- Who are the current vice-presidents of Myanmar?
- As reviewed on 4 October 2026, Nyo Saw is first vice-president and Nan Ni Ni Aye is second vice-president. They took office on 10 April 2026.
- How many people have served as vice-president of Myanmar?
- Seven people have held one of the two offices since 2011: Tin Aung Myint Oo, Sai Mauk Kham, Nyan Tun, Myint Swe, Henry Van Thio, Nyo Saw and Nan Ni Ni Aye.
- Why does Myanmar have two vice-presidents?
- Three parliamentary groups nominate one presidential candidate each. The full electoral college makes the highest-ranked candidate president and the other two first and second vice-president.
- Is Myanmar’s vice-president directly elected?
- No. Voters elect legislators, while military representatives are appointed. Those parliamentary groups nominate the three candidates and the combined Union Parliament ranks them.
- Who was Myanmar’s first woman vice-president?
- Nan Ni Ni Aye became the first woman to hold the office when she was sworn in as second vice-president on 10 April 2026.
- Did Myint Swe become president after the 2021 coup?
- The military administration installed him as acting president, but a UN legal analysis found that President Win Myint’s removal and the resulting emergency transfer violated the Constitution. His status is therefore described as disputed.
Primary and institutional sources
How this history was checked
Dates, legal milestones and historical claims are checked against the official and institutional records below. This article was reviewed on 4 October 2026.
- Asian Development Bank Law and Policy Reform ProgramConstitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (2008)
- United Nations General Assembly2011 Special Rapporteur report recording the first electoral college
- The New Light of Myanmar archiveParliament elects Nyan Tun vice-president · 16 August 2012
- Carter CenterObserving Myanmar’s 2015 General Elections · final report
- UN Human Rights Council · Special Rapporteur on MyanmarIllegal and Illegitimate · legal analysis of the 2021 takeover
- Ministries of the President’s Office, MyanmarOrder No. 2/2026 announcing the elected vice-presidents
- Ministries of the President’s Office, MyanmarNotification No. 1/2026 forming the Union Government
- Associated PressMyanmar Parliament elects Min Aung Hlaing president
- Wikimedia CommonsNan Ni Ni Aye portrait and CC0 licensing record