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British PM calls vote ‘a triumph’ for Myanmar

Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition party was on the verge of a formal victory Thursday, as continuing results from Myanmar’s historic polls pointed to a landslide win for the pro-democracy crusader and a resounding rejection of military rule.

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In a recent interview, Aung San Suu Kyi said she is confident that her party, the National League for Democracy or the NLD, won majority in the parliament in the recent Myanmar elections. The NLD won 78 of the 88 seats announced by the election commission in the lower house, which has 440 seats.

The Party president on Wednesday called for a meeting with Parliament Speaker U Shwe Mann, President U Thein Sein and Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Services Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing for holding dialogue next week.

Mr Shwe Mann said on his official Facebook page that he had received the letter and plans to meet Ms Suu Kyi next week to discuss national reconcilation.

Mr Obama also called President Thein Sein to congratulate Burma on its success in conducting the election and the importance of respecting the outcome.

In a positive step, the army chief, Sein and the head of parliament have all accepted an invitation by Suu Kyi for reconciliation talks.

While her letters seek conciliation, Suu Kyi has become increasingly defiant on the presidential clause as the scale of her victory has become apparent.

Myanmar’s president has joined the army chief in congratulating Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition after it swept national elections, and promised a smooth transition of power.

More than 30 million people cast votes in Sunday’s election, which worldwide observers mostly praised as successful, while raising concerns over the disenfranchisement of Muslims and other minorities and about the lack of transparency on the counting of advance ballots.

But she has said “that won’t stop me from making all the decisions”.

The army is gifted 25 percent of all parliamentary seats under a constitution scripted to ensure its stake in the future. Suu Kyi has said that a civilian from the party will be up for the post shall the NLD win, although she has indicated she will lead the government from Parliament.

Asked what she meant by stating last week that she would be “above the President”, Suu Kyi said: “If I’m required to field a President who meets the requirements of section F of the Constitution, alright then we’ll find one”.

This is the second time Suu Kyi’s party has won a general election.

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Final results are due no later than two weeks after Sunday’s poll.

Supporters of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy party cheer as they watch the results of the general election on an LED screen displayed outside the partys headquarters Monday Nov. 9 2015 in Yangon Myanmar. My