In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 12 October 1969
- Birthplace
- Hpa-An, Kayin State, Union of Burma
- Country
- Myanmar
- Nationality
- Burmese
- Known for
- Becoming Myanmar’s first woman vice-president in April 2026
- Born
- 12 October 1969 · Hpa-An
- Profession
- Teacher and university educator
- Upper-house service
- 2011–2021 · Kayin State No. 6
- Current office
- Second vice-president · since 10 April 2026
Why this life matters
Nan Ni Ni Aye broke a gender barrier in the vice-presidency, but her appointment came through a military-dominated process conducted during civil war and political exclusion.
Timeline
Key moments
Born in Hpa-An
Born on 12 October in the capital of Kayin State.
Worked in education
Taught in schools and later served as a tutor and assistant lecturer in computer studies.
Entered electoral politics
Resigned from public education service and won the Kayin State No. 6 upper-house seat for the USDP.
Re-elected to the Amyotha Hluttaw
Retained her seat during the election that brought the NLD to national power.
Selected as second vice-president
The upper-house group nominated her and the full electoral college ranked her third on 3 April.
Took the oath of office
Became the first woman to hold either of Myanmar’s two vice-presidential posts.
An educator from Kayin State
Nan Ni Ni Aye was born in Hpa-An on 12 October 1969. A detailed 2015 candidate interview records studies in zoology, computer science and information science before a seventeen-year career in public education. She worked as a primary and middle-school teacher and later as a tutor and assistant lecturer in computer studies.
Her background differed from the retired generals who occupied many senior positions in the Union Solidarity and Development Party. She was also identified with Kayin State and the ethnic Karen community. Family connections to public service existed—her father had served as a legislator—but teaching, local party organisation and parliamentary work formed the public basis of her own career.
Two terms in the upper house
Nan Ni Ni Aye resigned from the civil service to contest the 2010 general election. She won Kayin State Constituency No. 6 in the Amyotha Hluttaw and entered the first Parliament convened under the 2008 Constitution. During that term she worked on bills, parliamentary rights, complaints and administrative procedures and chaired committees connected to economic cooperation and women and children.
She won the same constituency again in 2015 even as the NLD displaced the USDP nationally. Her second term ran from 2016 until the military prevented the newly elected Parliament from meeting on 1 February 2021. She later returned to electoral politics through the proportional-representation system used in the military-organised 2025–2026 election, after losing a state-level contest in 2020.
How the upper-house group selected her
Under the 2008 Constitution, elected lower-house members, elected upper-house members and appointed military legislators each nominate one vice-presidential candidate. In March 2026 the Amyotha Hluttaw group considered Nan Ni Ni Aye and Kachin politician Manam Tu Ja. Official results gave her 117 of 155 group votes, making her the upper-house nominee to the full presidential electoral college.
On 3 April the combined Parliament gave Min Aung Hlaing 429 votes, Nyo Saw 126 and Nan Ni Ni Aye 29. The highest total produced the president and the other candidates became first and second vice-president. All three took their oaths on 10 April, and the President’s Office listed Nan Ni Ni Aye in the Union Government as second vice-president.
A historic office inside a contested transition
Nan Ni Ni Aye is the first woman to serve as a Myanmar vice-president. The breakthrough has institutional and symbolic significance in a political system where women have been underrepresented, especially at the top of the executive. Her Karen identity also makes her appointment part of the recurring attempt to give ethnic representation to one of the two vice-presidential positions.
The route to office remains inseparable from the post-coup conflict. The election was conducted while large areas were outside government control, major opposition parties were excluded or dissolved and military appointees retained one quarter of Parliament. Associated Press reporting described the process as widely criticised and recorded the National Unity Government’s rejection of its legitimacy. Her official title is therefore a verifiable fact, not evidence of an uncontested democratic mandate.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Nan Ni Ni Aye
- Who is Nan Ni Ni Aye?
- Nan Ni Ni Aye is a second vice-president of Myanmar and former educator. Nan Ni Ni Aye broke a gender barrier in the vice-presidency, but her appointment came through a military-dominated process conducted during civil war and political exclusion.
- What is Nan Ni Ni Aye best known for?
- Nan Ni Ni Aye is best known for becoming Myanmar’s first woman vice-president in April 2026.
- When and where was Nan Ni Ni Aye born?
- Nan Ni Ni Aye was born on 12 October 1969 in Hpa-An, Kayin State, Union of Burma.
Sources and further reading
Explore the evidence
These references support the biography and offer further reading. Official records, first-person accounts and independent reporting provide different perspectives; image records document attribution and licensing.
- 1. Burma News InternationalInterview with USDP upper-house candidate Nan Ni Ni Aye
- 2. Ministries of the President’s Office, MyanmarAmyotha Hluttaw names Nan Ni Ni Aye vice-president
- 3. Ministries of the President’s Office, MyanmarOrder No. 2/2026 announcing the elected vice-presidents
- 4. Associated PressMyanmar Parliament elects Min Aung Hlaing president
- 5. Wikimedia Commons2026 portrait and CC0 licensing record
