Thein Sein ( ; born 20 April 1945) is a Burmese politician and former military commander who has been President of Myanmar since 30 March 2011, having been elected by the Assembly of the Union the previous month. His term is set to end on 30 March 2016 following general elections in 2015. He was the Prime Minister from 2007 until 2011 and is considered by many in and outside Myanmar as a moderate and reformist in the post-junta government. His new government undertook a series of political reforms including some deregulation of the country's censored media, releasing many political prisoners and halting the country's controversial large Chinese-led hydro-power project. The developments that followed included Myanmar's appointment to chair ASEAN in 2014, improved relations with the US, the release of Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, and the reinstatement of major opposition party National League for Democracy (NLD) in the by-election held on 1 April 2012.