Myanmar Power Handover “To Go Smoothly” – Thien Sein

He won praise from a few of the leaders for his government’s holding a transparent and fair election, and accepting the results with grace.

Political commentator U Yan Myo Thein said this could be the most problematic issue for the NLD.

The military clique, which had dismissed the NLD’s win in 1990, has committed itself this time to respect the electorate’s decision.

Another test: can NLD influence the military?

In a letter sent to fellow Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said the election result was “a reflection of the people’s confidence that you will be able to help them fulfill their hopes and aspirations”.

“Many pro-NLD supporters were disillusioned by her behavior after her release and when she became an MP”.

Also, 166 seats are reserved for the military under an arrangement the former junta made before ceding power to the quasi-civilian USDP government in 2011 as part of a gradual transition to democracy after a half-century of military rule.

People queue to cast their vote at a polling station in Yangon.

Now, though, with Ms Suu Kyi proving her legendary survival skills and resilience in the election and besting the generals, most of whom could not even win their individual parliamentary seats in an NLD wave, it is no longer a zero-sum game proposition for India to either be with the Myanmar military or the democratisers.

But with a months-long gap before the new NLD lawmakers take their seats senior party figures are on guard for any signs of political trickery from a chastened military establishment. Ms Suu Kyi needs to find a peaceful solution to the ongoing armed conflicts in ethnic areas. It’s widely expected that she will ask a representative from the military to occupy the post of president for the next two years.

With almost all the votes counted over the weekend, the NLD has won about 78 per cent of the combined houses, or 390 of the 498 non-military seats, while the USDP has only 41.

Not really – it has enough seats in the upper and lower house to choose the president but the army has 25% of seats and controls key ministries, so they will need to work together.

Moreover, for the military, any talk of national reconciliation would have to adhere to three principles: Non-disintegration of their union, non-disintegration of national solidarity, and perpetuation of national sovereignty. The cease-fire with the eight is to be followed by political talks in January to address ethnic demands. The party would also consider appointing non-NLD chief ministers in Shan and Rakhine states.

The NLD electoral victory is largely a show of support for the party and its leadership. The personality of candidates did not play a significant role. At present, she can not assume the presidency due to a clause banning those with close family connections to foreigners-her children are British citizens.

The NLD also faces a powerful local rival – the Arakan National Party (ANP) – that has been accused of stoking anti-Muslim sentiment and has called for the deportation of Rohingya. In a word, the army chief, and not any elected government, is the ultimate authority in Myanmar.

New Delhi justified this policy on pragmatic national security grounds and rebuffed appeals from Indian civil society and human rights groups to push for democratisation of Myanmar.