Obama also called Suu Kyi and her opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), which has won about 80 percent of the seats declared so far in the lower house, to commend them for their success, which puts her on course to form the new cabinet.
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According to with Myanmar’s constitution, NLD Chairperson Aung San Suu Kyi is restricted to become president due to her family status which involves foreign citizenship. This means that the party has surpassed the 329-seat threshold needed to gain a 51 percent majority in parliament – ensuring the party will be unimpeded in choosing Myanmar’s next president in a parliamentary committee vote scheduled for February 2016.
The majority will allow the NLD to cut through parliamentary business.
The Union Election Board has been excruciatingly slow in announcing official results, though the victory has generally been a foregone conclusion, with both the NLD earlier claiming victory and the ruling party informally conceding.
No problem, Suu Kyi said at a news conference shortly before the election.
The latest election was conducted without any major disturbances, although there were flaws in the process including a few people being unable to register on voter lists.
For Suu Kyi, Friday’s announcement of an NLD majority is the most tangible example yet of change in a life that has been intimately bound to the turbulent political struggle of her homeland.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s father is known as the “father of Burmese independence”, because he led what was then known as Burma in its fight against British colonialists who had occupied the country for decades.
Buoyed by her party’s sweep of the polls, Suu Kyi called for “national reconciliation talks” with President Thein Sein and army chief Min Aung Hlaing. NLD elected representatives will most certainly be able to choose the president from three candidates nominated by the two houses of Parliament and the military, he said, but they will have to plan carefully to secure the first vice presidency and not leave it to the military, he said.
“We would like to congratulate [Ms Suu Kyi] for winning the people’s approval”, the country’s current president Thein Sein had said earlier in a statement on Facebook.
It is five years to the day since Suu Kyi was released from house arrest.
Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser, told reporters Thursday that Suu Kyi “is in a very strong position as the leader of the National League for Democracy to be a leading voice about the future direction of the country”.
Suu Kyi, though barred by a constitutional provision from becoming president, will lead the party governing the country.
While Myanmar’s people voted overwhelmingly Sunday to remove the military-backed ruling party from power, it’s clear that the army’s involvement in politics won’t end, and the NLD will need to convince it to cooperate.
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While it has won worldwide praise for its reforms, Thein Sein’s government has locked up scores more activists in recent years, including dozens of student protesters held since a March crackdown on their rally calling for changes to an education bill.
