News Digest

Suu Kyi voters optimistic after Myanmar holds first free election in 25 years

Supporters of Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi burst into boisterous celebration on Sunday after the country held its first free nationwide election in a quarter of a century, the biggest step yet in a journey to democracy from dictatorship. As polls closed, the party of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to secure the largest share of votes cast by the 30 million-strong electorate. But a legacy of rule by military junta means Suu Kyi, who led the campaign for democracy, cannot become president herself. And whatever the result, Myanmar is heading into a period of uncertainty over how she and other ascendant parties negotiate sharing power with the still-dominant military.

I believe in her (Suu Kyi) completely. She is the one who sacrificed everything for us.

Buddhist monk Raseinna

The election is the party’s first chance at electoral success since Ms. Suu Kyi, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, convincingly won the country’s last free vote in 1990 but the military regime refused to hand over control. The 70-year-old is barred from becoming president under the constitution written by the junta, which forbids anyone with a foreign spouse or child from holding the top job and Ms. Suu Kyi’s late husband and sons are British. A pariah state until a few years ago, Myanmar has had little experience organizing elections. Early indications from the monitors say voting was mostly trouble-free, but many voters doubted the military would accept the outcome of the vote if the NLD wins. However, the country’s military Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing  refuted that sentiment. The results of the election are expected to come in slowly with a clear picture not due to emerge until Monday evening at the earliest.

If the people choose them (the NLD), there is no reason we would not accept it.

Min Aung Hlaing