Ne Win (Burmese: နေဝင်း IPA: [ne wɪɴ]; 14 May 1910 – 5 December 2002) was a Burmese politician and military commander. He was Prime Minister of Burma from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1974 and also head of state from 1962 to 1981. He founded the Burma Socialist Programme Party in 1962 and served as its chairman until 1988. He was the leader of Burma for 26 years.