US President Barack Obama had congratulated the nation on holding “free and fair” elections, as the government and army chief promised a smooth transition of power with Aung San Suu Kyi’s party edging towards victory.
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But Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) is on the verge of tipping the balance of power after capturing more than 85 per cent of seats declared so far from Sunday’s election – a huge stride in its long democracy struggle.
The President’s office didn’t spell out when such a meeting would take place, but it congratulated Suu Kyi and the NLD on their success.
The military establishment has not formally conceded defeat but has acknowledged the massive success of Suu Kyi’s party, and has pledged it will respect the final election results.
Suu Kyi has twice been invited to sit down for high-level dialogues, though neither of those gatherings involved the four-party talks that she had pushed for, and instead brought together 48 people and six people, in meetings held in January and April, respectively.
She said last week she would be “above the President” if her party won the parliamentary election.
She noted in the interview that the military had repeatedly said it would honour the election results. Shwe Mann quickly said yes. Per the latest results released by the Union Election Commission (UEC) on Wednesday at noon, the NLD had won 403 of 456 contests announced, with the USDP winning just 36 seats to date. The NLD has officially won 217 seats in the lower house – which means it now will have the power to pass bills there – and 110 in the upper house, for a total of 327.
A party with a combined parliamentary majority is able to select the next president, who can then name a Cabinet and form a new government.
The country has been dominated by the military for half a century through direct junta rule and since 2011 by a quasi-civilian government run by its allies.
Ye Htut said the government will pursue a peaceful transfer of power “in accordance with the legislated timeline”.
If there is a peaceful turnover, Myanmar will have its most democratic government since 1962, when the military staged a coup.
Suu Kyi’s late husband was British.
“And second he also wants to congratulate the NLD for their success in the election”, U Ye Htut told the BBC. He said it would be up to Myanmar’s new parliament and leaders to decide about constitutional reform. Suu Kyi, who retained her own seat in Kawmhu, Yangon, isn’t eligible because of a law that bars people who are married to or closely related to foreigners.
While Myanmar’s people voted overwhelmingly Sunday to remove the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development 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.
If the National League secures a two-thirds majority of the parliamentary seats at stake, it would gain control over the executive posts under Burma’s parliamentary-presidency system.
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The trend so far may allow her to get a majority in the 440-seat lower house despite the military’s right to fill 110 seats – 25 percent.
