Myanmar’s President Thein Sein promises a ‘smooth’ transition

President Sein primused that all duties would be transferred to the incoming democratically elected government as per the schedule outlined before the elections took place. I’d like to call on the [political] parties which were not elected in the elections to be involved in the extra parliamentary politics.

Those talks could begin this week, although the president and the military commander have said they want to wait first for the Union Election Commission to issue the final results of the November 8 elections.

On Sunday Thein Sein, whose quasi-civilian government has opened the hermit nation to the world since taking power in 2011, said the elections were the result of his sweeping reforms and sought to reassure Myanmar’s nervous populace that the handover of power would be smooth. Winning Myanmar’s election turned out to be easier than expected for Suu Kyi and her opposition party, but steering the country will be a test of how the Nobel Peace laureate balances her moral vision with political realities.

The generals appear to have been caught flat-footed by the scope of NLD’s victory and the near-total rejection of the ruling military-backed United Solidarity and Development Party.

The fact that Ms Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from the presidency has won her sympathy from the voters.

A national ceasefire agreement was recently signed by eight ethnic armed groups with the government, and political parties will participate in the drafting of a framework for a political dialogue for a long-lasting answer to those groups’ demands.

However, she confirmed that she will run the country through a proxy chosen by her party. The immediate challenge facing Myanmar will be the formation of a new government of national unity and reconciliation over the next few months.

After forming a new government, she said, the NLD will lay out a “clear and precise” timeline for reforms.

Asked what would happen if the NLD and the Tatmadaw would have problems tackling the “all-inclusive” aspect, he replied that the country’s leaders should not forget the root of Myanmar’s difficulties. While ownership of the democratization process belongs to the government and the people of Myanmar, the worldwide community, including Japan, should continue to support Myanmar’s democratization process so that genuine democracy can take root at an early date.

The NLD will make national reconciliation its priority, as well as putting an end to decades of conflict between the army and rebel ethnic groups in the country, said Win Htein, a senior NLD leader.

The time period of the present authorities will expire on the finish of March 2016.