Myanmar President to meet Suu Kyi after final vote count

It will be revealing to see whether Suu Kyi’s government of “national reconciliation” will also exclude Muslims (under Myanmar law members of cabinet do not necessarily have to be elected members of Parliament).

Power beckons for her National League for Democracy party after it took more than 90% of the seats declared so far.

Right now it’s hard to say unequivocally, as full results aren’t in.

“Our message to the people of the country on behalf of U Thein Sein is that President U Thein Sein wants to congratulate the Myanmar people for the free and fair and very peaceful election day”, Administration party spokesman U Ye Htut told the BBC.

The ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) faces a rout after taking just five of the spots in the lower house.

“Our USDP lost completely”.

“This is the fate of our country”.

Dr Ohnmar said even if Suu Kyi’s NLD won and formed the next government, Burma’s progress would be “painfully slow”.

Tuesday’s headline in the Daily Eleven Newspaper read: “NLD is winning as the people are willing to change this country”, a reference to the main opposition party led by Suu Kyi, the National League for Democracy.

The Election Commission continued to release a steady trickle of results, all pointing to an NLD landslide win.

Under the 2008 constitution, the military automatically controls 25 percent of all parliamentary seats, and maintains control of several key government posts, including defense, interior and border security.

“I think the results will come soon, but I’m anxious”, said Ma Pyone, a vegetable seller in downtown Yangon. Noble laureate Aung San Suu Kyi appeared poised to win power in Myanmar on Monday despite her party’s growing concerns about cheating in Sunday’s historic election.

Ms Suu Kyi’s early move to reach out to the army and its political allies shows willingness to work with her former captors – who kept her under house arrest for 15 years – to cut through Myanmar’s tangled politics.

A massive majority would strengthen her hand in selecting a favourable president, and she vowed before the election to be “above the president” in the event of an NLD win.

Suu Kyi won the general election and will be a representative to the House of Representatives (Lower House) of the next parliament.

The vote was closely monitored by European Election observers. “We have been able to survive as long as we have because we have the support of the people and governments that depend on the support of the people never become authoritarian”, she said. “He will act in accordance with the decisions of the party”, said Suu Kyi, adding that the president will be “told exactly what he can do”.

Burma’s citizens are now politically more aware, and new forms of communications serve a watchdog function, she said.

In recent months, the USDP-backed government of President Thein Sein has made strategic changes in the country’s large bureaucracy, including introducing a new system of permanent secretaries for every main department, many with military backgrounds. The NLD is also dominating many regional parliamentary seats – 142 out of 162 declared so far – which could give them significant influence over important local authorities. Turnout was estimated at about 80%.