Congress president Sonia Gandhi today congratulated Myanmar’s pro-democracy crusader Aung San Suu Kyi for her party’s landslide victory in the historic parliamentary polls there.
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The first session of the new parliament is expected to take place in January 2016, followed by the election of a new president in February and formation of a new government in March. Earlier this week, Myanmar’s military-backed president, Thein Sein, said he would respect the results and the country’s army chief, Min Aung Hlaing, offered that the military would “do what its best in cooperation with the new government during the post-election period”.
In seven constituencies, elections were not held meaning a simple majority could be reached at 329 seats.
Suu Kyi, 70, and her party are the longtime foils to the generals who ruled Myanmar from a coup in 1962 until 2011, when they handed power to their political arm after a 2010 vote that was tainted by allegations of fraud and boycotted by the opposition.
The military’s reserved seats give it veto power over constitutional changes, but Ms. Suu Kyi’s party will be able to pass all legislative bills.
Officials of Ms Suu Kyi’s party say obtaining the release of 112 political prisoners and another 479 alleged dissidents who are on trial or facing potential prison sentences will be a priority of the incoming administration.
Sunday’s election was the first openly contested poll in Myanmar – also known as Burma – in 25 years.
Under Myanmar’s quasi-presidential system set up by the former military junta, the president names his or her government but will have to share power with the military which remains beyond executive authority and will control the key ministers of defence, interior and border affairs.
“It is a big blow for ethnic parties as they lost the majority of seats in national parliament, so we are concerned that the new parliament may not reflect the voices of ethnic people”, said Tu Ja, who lost his own state parliament seat in Myitkyina.
Despite the landslide, Suu Kyi can not become president herself under a constitution drafted by the military before the end of almost 50 years of rule.
The Nobel laureate’s party had hoped to capture at least two-thirds of the 440 seats in the lower house and 224 seats in the upper house in order to form a government.
President Obama called Suu Kyi on Thursday to commend “her tireless efforts and sacrifice over so several years to promote a more inclusive, peaceful, and democratic Myanmar”, according to a White House statement.
The President, Thein Sein, sent his congratulations to Daw Suu Kyi for “gathering the support of the people”.
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In a state of emergency, a special military-led body can even assume state powers. Another provision bars Ms Suu Kyi from the presidency because her sons hold foreign citizenship.
