As Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s party was poised for an impressive victory in Myanmar’s elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called her up to congratulate her on the electoral win, a senior official said.
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But the balance of power is nearly certain to shift to Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD).
The NLD said in a press release on Wednesday that Myanmar President U Thein Sein had offered congratulations on the party’s success in polls.
Myanmar’s President Thein Sein talking to US President Barack Obama on the phone. The results have shown a resounding rejection of military rule in Myanmar, which has been under army control for half a century.
If the NLD is victorious, it will inherit a country crushed by poverty, with several ethnic rebellions and religious intolerance simmering. “The reforms that President U Thein Sein has bravely started have brought the country a brighter future, and the government of the United States will continue to cooperate with the government of Myanmar”, U Ye Htut’s post said.
There was no immediate confirmation of the call by the US State Department.
In comparison, the ruling pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party has won 40 seats, according to the latest results Friday afternoon.
Myanmar’s election panel has released results showing that Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition party has secured a historic majority in Myanmar’s Parliament. A street vender unfolds pages of a calendar featuring Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a Yangon street, Myanmar, Thursday, November 12, 2015.
Their comments may go a few way to allaying the fears of many NLD supporters who remain deeply suspicious of the army and its political allies, after past crackdowns on democracy movements that have left hundreds dead and thousands jailed.
The NLD won elections decisively in 1990 – only for the result to be nullified and Ms Suu Kyi placed under long-term house arrest.
It is gifted 25 percent of all parliamentary seats, as well as control of Myanmar’s security apparatus – meaning it will retain enormous practical powers as a counterpoint to the NLD’s popular mandate.
Ms Suu Kyi is barred from becoming president by a provision of the constitution which was passed during military rule.
Welcome to continuing live coverage as results roll in from Myanmar’s general election.
“Mother Suu”, as she is affectionately known, has said a democratic government would not seek to punish historic abuses by the military and a large parliamentary majority would increase her leverage against the army bloc. The result means the NLD will choose the country’s next president.
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Lower House Speaker Shwe Mann, a former general once tipped as a possible compromise candidate for the presidency, also accepted the invitation to talks. Modi also invited her to India. Myanmar’s president has promised a peaceful transfer of power to the victoriou…
