The president of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar () is the head of state and constitutional head of government of Myanmar. The president chairs the National Defence and Security Council and normally leads the Cabinet of Myanmar, the executive branch of the Burmese government, though the prime minister leads the Cabinet under the current state of emergency. The current president is Myint Swe, who assumed the presidency in an acting capacity through a military coup d'état on 1 February 2021. The president is elected by members of parliament, not by the general population; specifically the Presidential Electoral College, a three-committee body composed of members of parliament, elects the president. Each of the three committees, made up of Amyotha Hluttaw, Pyithu Hluttaw members of parliament, or military-appointed lawmakers, nominates a candidate for presidency. After the 2015 election, the extraconstitutional post of State Counsellor of Myanmar was created for Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the majority party, the National League for Democracy, because she was ineligible for the presidency. She served as the de facto head of government until she was deposed in the 2021 coup d'état by Min Aung Hlaing, who created the extraconstitutional post of chairman of the State Administration Council for himself. Leadership roles The president is the head of state and head of government. The position of President was created in 1948, with the adoption of the Burmese Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom. Since then, eleven people have held the office (with two of them doing so on multiple occasions). Due to the country's long period of military rule, it has not been uncommon for the prime minister to be a serving (or recently retired) military officer. The actual power of the prime minister has considerably varied over time, differing based on who holds the office. In 2004, a power struggle between the then–head of state, Senior General Than Shwe, chairman of the State Peace and Development Council, and his President, General Khin Nyunt, resulted in the prime minister being dismissed and arrested. The prime minister position was abolished on 30 March 2011, according to the current Constitution (adopted in 2008). It provided that the president is both the head of state and de jure head of government. But after the 2015 general election, as Aung San Suu Kyi was constitutionally barred from becoming President, a position called State Counsellor, similar to