Aung San Suu Kyi secures landslide victory … now the hard work begins

Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition party has won a landslide victory in the Myanmar election, official results now show. With more than 80% of seats now declared from Sunday’s poll, her National League for Democracy party has won a two-thirds majority in parliament. It now has 348 of the 664 seats in the country’s two-house parliament. The NLD can now select a president, who in turn selects the cabinet to run the country, which has been under military rule for 25 years. But weeks of power-broking talks are now expected before the way forward becomes clear.

This is in many ways a momentous opportunity for thepeople of Burma. We had been very focused on this election.

White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes

Nobel Peace Prize winner Ms Suu Kyi - known simply as The Lady by many - is barred from becoming president but has said she would be the power behind the new leader. On Monday, the chairman of Myanmar’s ruling party conceded victory but few anticipated a landslide of such dramatic proportions. In a phone call on Thursday night, Barack Obama commended Suu Kyi for “her tireless efforts and sacrifice over so many years” to promote a peaceful, democratic Myanmar. The two talked about the importance of all parties respecting the election results once announced in Myanmar and the difficult negotiations that now lie ahead.

There is much hard work that remains ahead on Myanmar’s democratic journey and towards making future elections truly inclusive.

Spokesman for UN leader Ban Ki-moon

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