Burmese officials say Prime Minister Thein Sein will be sworn in as president on Wednesday or Thursday, marking the formal transfer of power to a civilian-led government after decades of military rule.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told news agencies the military government wants to complete the transfer before the beginning of a new budget year on April 1. Thein Sein, who resigned from the military to run in elections late last year, will take power along with a new cabinet comprising 26 former military men and four civilians.
The officials say the ceremony will take place in the Burmese capital, Naypyitaw. Thein Sein will take over as head of state from Senior General Than Shwe, who has governed the country since 1992.
Thein Sein is also chairman of the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party. He was chosen to serve as president in early February by Burma's new parliament, which was elected in November in the country's first elections in 20 years.
The government is hailing the changes as a major reform. But critics say the elections were designed so as to ensure power would remain in the hands of the military and its allies, who won about 80 percent of the seats in parliament.
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