Burmese democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi, moving closer to an absolute majority in parliament yesterday, requested a meeting with the president and the powerful military chief to discuss national reconciliation.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) had won more than 90 percent of the seats declared so far in the lower house and was well ahead in the upper house and regional assemblies.
If the final results confirm the trend, Aung San Suu Kyi’s triumph will sweep out an old guard of former generals who have run Myanmar since the junta handed over power to Burmese President Thein Sein’s semi-civilian government in 2011.
Photo: AP
Myanmar’s transition to greater democracy after decades of military rule surged ahead as the government promised a peaceful transition of power.
The NLD said it received a message from Burmese Minister of Information Ye Htut on behalf of Thein Sein congratulating it for leading the race for parliamentary seats in Sunday’s election.
Ye Htut said the government will pursue a peaceful transfer of power “in accordance with the legislated timeline.”
He was not immediately available for comment.
The message helps remove lingering concerns that the military, which has a large influence over the ruling party, may deny the NLD power, as it did after elections in 1990.
It also means that Myanmar is likely to soon have its first government in decades that is not under the military’s sway.
The armed forces continue to wield considerable power in Myanmar’s political institutions, enshrined in a constitution drafted before the end of nearly 50 years of rule. It is unclear how Aung San Suu Kyi and the generals will work together.
In letters to the commander-in-chief and the president dated Tuesday that the NLD released to media yesterday, Aung San Suu Kyi requested meetings within a week to discuss the basis of “national reconciliation.”
“It is very important for the dignity of the country and to bring peace of mind to the people,” Aung San Suu Kyi said in the letter.
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