Ms Suu Kyi, however, is constitutionally barred from becoming president.
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In her first interview since the vote, Suu Kyi told the BBC that polls had been “largely free” though not entirely fair. “That’s why I am helping and working for her”. People were wearing T-shirts with Suu Kyi’s image. Her late husband and two sons are British. But she also sent signals that she was not out for revenge.
The army installed retired senior officers in the ruling party to fill Cabinet posts and granted itself constitutional powers, including control of powerful ministries and a quarter of seats in the 664-member two-chamber Parliament.
Stacked with former military men, the USDP has led a quasi-civilian government since 2011.
But Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) is on the verge of tipping the balance of power after capturing more than 85 percent of seats declared so far from Sunday’s election – a huge stride in the party’s long democracy struggle.
“In accordance with the Union Election Commission’s election results announcement, I would like to congratulate you, the NLD, for leading the race for parliamentary seats”, the statement quoted Ye Htut as saying.
The NLD needs 67 percent of the contested seats to form a government without coalition partners. She added that she would “uphold the parts of the constitution that are good”.
She said “the times are different, the people are different… very much more alert to what is going on around them”.
An European Union observer mission has said the historic elections had gone better than expected.
The public is electing 168 of the 224 representatives in the upper house of the national parliament, with the remaining quarter of seats reserved for lawmakers appointed by the military.
He was also invited to talks with Suu Kyi despite being sidelined by the USDP and losing his seat in the election. Party officials said Suu Kyi was meeting with party officials.
Suu Kyi’s party won a 1990 election by a landslide only for the army to ignore the result and tighten its grip on power.
But human rights groups have warned more recently of a rise in politically motivated arrests as well as discrimination directed against the Muslim minority, notably the stateless Rohingya population. It called on the worldwide community to closely monitor the situation in Myanmar. He antagonised the military while in parliament and built close ties to Suu Kyi, arousing the suspicion of many in his party.
The drip-feed of election results has brought frustration to NLD supporters, many of whom have waited 25 years since the party last contested a poll to cast their vote.
Elections were not held in seven constituencies, meaning a simple majority can be reached at 329 seats.
Global commentators believe that the party appears to be heading for a sweeping victory.
“It doesn’t make sense that they are releasing the results piece by piece. It shouldn’t be like that”. Lambsdorff told reporters that the country had come a long…
(AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe). Myanmar’s opposition National League for Democracy party leader Aung San Suu Kyi, with ink still imprinted on the little finger of her left hand after voting yesterday, waves after delivering a speech from a balcony of th…
Than Yin, a 74-year-old sitting on his porch in Yangon, said he was too frail to join the crowds waiting to see Suu Kyi in person, but reading the newspaper was exciting.
Wang said: “We are willing to work with Myanmar to maintain stability in the border area”.
He says the White House is encouraged by signs of broad participation among women, young people and ethnic minorities.
Under Myanmar’s constitution, MPs elected on November 8 will not be sworn in until late January, when the five-year term of the current parliament ends.
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Earnest says, “There are a few imperfections – to put it mildly”.
