Htin Kyaw, the man chosen by Aung San Suu Kyi to serve as her proxy, was sworn in as Myanmar's president on Wednesday in a historic power shift away from outright army rule.

The 69-year-old close aide and confidante of Suu Kyi pledged to be "faithful to the people of the republic of the union of Myanmar" at a ceremony at the country's parliament in the capital Naypyidaw.