Suu Kyi’s party two seats off majority

Suu Kyi’s party said it received a message Wednesday from Information Minister Ye Htut on behalf of Thein Sein congratulating it for leading the race for parliamentary seats.

“The government should have released [the prisoners] to get a good name but it didn’t do it”, he said.

The election has won praise from observers for its smooth, peaceful passing, in a country where violence and repression has normally met democratic milestones. The two talked about the importance of all parties respecting the election results once announced in Myanmar, also known as Burma.

Historic… Myanmar has been dominated by the military for half a century through direct junta rule, but the balance of power is now shifting. Her sons are British, as was her late husband.

“[Obama said] President Thein Sein’s fearless reform is shaping the bright future of Myanmar, and that the US Government will continue to cooperate with the government”, it said.

While campaigning, Suu Kyi addressed allegations of “genocide” targeting the Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar saying “it is very important” not to “exaggerate the problems” in Myanmar. Key ministries such as defence and interior are reserved for the army as well as 25 per cent of the seats in each house of the legislature. It is unclear how Suu Kyi and the generals will work together.

Suu Kyi has become increasingly defiant on that presidential clause as the scale of her victory has become apparent.

Relations between Suu Kyi and armed forces chief Min Aung Hlaing are said to be strained.

He put down the rout of the USDP to a backlash to decades of military rule. She has repeatedly said she plans to find a way to lead the government and that constitution says nothing about someone being “above the president”.

The new government is scheduled to be sworn in at the end of March 2016, after the newly elected members of Parliament have voted a new president into office and he or she has appointed a Cabinet.

The NLD hopes Obama will make a flying stop-over visit to Myanmar to endorse the result when he is in south-east Asia for regional leaders’ summits next week. Suu Kyi issued an invitation on Wednesday for a meeting with the commander, along with President Thein Sein and House Speaker Shwe Mann.

“He will have no authority”.

Attention was riveted on what has been called the “magic number” for Suu Kyi’s party.

The current leaders and military figures have signaled they will accept the potentially overwhelming defeat, allaying fears of a repeat of the 1990 election, which Aung San Suu Kyi won but the results were promptly annulled and her colleagues imprisoned.

To form Myanmar’s first democratically elected government since the early 1960s, the NLD needs to win more than two-thirds of seats that were contested in parliament.