Five years to the day after Aung San Suu Kyi was freed from house arrest, her National League for Democracy party officially clinched victory Friday in historic elections, with a largeand growing majority in parliament shaping up as the strongest challenge to military dominance in over half a century. The military has veto power over changes to the Constitution.
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If the full results confirm the trend, Ms Suu Kyi’s triumph will sweep out an old guard of former generals that has run Myanmar.
The junta offered to end her imprisonment at any time if she left the country for good but Suu Kyi refused.
Myanmar’s military, which took power in a 1962 coup and brutally suppressed several pro-democracy uprisings during its rule, gave way to Thein Sein’s nominally civilian elected government in 2011 – with strings attached.
Suu Kyi, 70, is barred from the presidency by a junta-scripted constitution, which also guarantees the army a 25-percent bloc of seats.
Those who voted Sunday said they felt a thrill knowing that their country might be guided by the will of the people after so many years of military domination.
Reports emerged Thursday that the NLD received an overwhelming electoral majority, taking 90 percent of parliamentary seats with 47 percent declared.
Discussions of policy played little part in the election – it was all about Suu Kyi, and like Poland’s Lech Walesa and South Africa’s Nelson Mandela before her, the public face of the rebellion will now be tested as leader of the nation. The UN Chief described Sunday’s poll as a “significant achievement” in Myanmar’s transition away from military rule. “Burma will get democracy”, Aung Thein, a member of the NLD’s campaign committee, told me.
The office of army commander Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing has said the military will hold talks with Suu Kyi after the election results are complete.
The parliament will elect a president by March next year.
Myanmar’s landmark elections on November 8 have cemented Aung San Suu Kyi’s position as the most popular political leader in the country.
But human rights groups have warned of a rise in politically motivated arrests as well as discrimination directed against the Muslim minority, notably the stateless Rohingya population.
“There is much hard work that remains ahead on Myanmar’s democratic journey and towards making future elections truly inclusive”, he said.
It signifies that NLD cannot only lead the central Union Parliament and central Union Government but also lead in Region or State Parliament and the Region or State Government.
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The President, Thein Sein, sent his congratulations to Daw Suu Kyi for “gathering the support of the people”. The military still controls 25 per cent of parliament, while three key ministries – defence, home affairs, and border affairs – are reserved for serving officers.
