Myanmar's parliament has elected Htin Kyaw as the President making him the first Head of State who does not belong to a military background since the 1960s.

Htin Kyaw runs a charity organization founded by Suu Kyi and has been her confidant since the mid-1990s.

Suu Kyi guided her National League for Democracy (NLD) to a landslide victory in November, but she is not permitted to hold the top office according to constitution.

The NLD's majority guaranteed a comfortable win for Suu Kyi's choice in a vote by both houses of parliament. Kyaw got 360 of the 652 votes cast, the parliamentary official counting the votes revealed.

The still-powerful military has a quarter of the seats in parliament and holds the right under the constitution to suggest one of the three candidates for president. Its candidate retired General Myint Swe, got 213 votes, making him the first Vice President.

The third presidential candidate, Henry Van Thio, was also nominated by the NLD. He will be the second Vice President.

The President chooses the cabinet that will take possession from President Thein Sein's outgoing government on April 1, with the omission of the heads of the home, defence and border security ministries, who will be chosen by the armed forces chief.