Aung San Suu Kyi in Parliament: "triumph of the people", the beginning of a "new era"
Yangon (AsiaNews
/ Agencies) - The elections are a "triumph of the people" that could
start a "new era" in the history of Myanmar. With these words, the
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed the announcement that her party,
the National League for Democracy
(NLD), has won in the constituency in which she was nominated (Kawhmu
constituency in Yangon) . Yesterday throughout
Myanmar an election was held
for 48 parliamentary seats, left vacant by the election of November 2010 (see
AsiaNews 03/31/2012 Burma
votes. A parliamentary seat for Aung San Suu Kyi). The Electoral
Commission reports that the official results will be announced within a week,
because the leaders of the NLD made several allegations of fraud, however,
winning the Nobel Peace Prize is given for certain.
Toe Kyi, spokesman for the National League for Democracy, says that "we
have won 43 seats out of 44" in the lower house and "expect the
results from the Shan State, in the north [of Burma] for the afternoon."
Meanwhile, the
Nobel Peace laureate held a brief public address to supporters, in front of the
NLD headquarters in Yangon. While celebrating
the victory at the polls, the "Lady" warns against triumphalism because
these elections are just one step in the path of reforms initiated by Maynmar. Aung
San Suu Kyi speaks of "people's victory" that she chose to be part of
the "political process" in place in the country and ensures the
highest commitment to promote further reforms.
Aung San Suu Kyi will continue to work with the President Thein Sein, who has managed
to bring the former Burma
from a strict military regime to a nation where one can see glimmers of real
democracy, although "a lot" remains to be done. Supporters of the
"Lady" - who has spent 15 of the last 22 years under house arrest,
and spent a third of her life sacrificing herself for the cause of the Burmese
- celebrated all night. "It is normal that the people are happy,"
said the Nobel Laureate, who calls for restraint: "Words, actions and behaviours
can hurt and embitter the other parties" and the people "must
absolutely avoid this." "We hope that this - she concludes - is the
beginning of a new era."
The success - unofficial - of Aung San Suu Kyi and her party will not change
the balance in Parliament, dominated by the ruling party and a 25% of seats
reserved for the military. However, the victory of the NLD candidates is a
clear political signal to the government and military, who can no longer
operate in the country using an iron fist. And the next, the real challenge:
the general election of 2015, which will see the real face to face between
government supported by the Union
Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) - which currently holds about 80%
of the seats - and the Democratic opposition.
The international community has welcomed the elections in Myanmar. The
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has renewed U.S. support to the "road of
reforms" and the European Union has not ruled out the possibility of
removing some sanctions if the vote is free from fraud.
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17/03/2021 13:08
