Cautious victory for Myanmar democracy
Suu Kyi party ahead in early returns, but challenges remain
YANGON, Myanmar — Political pundits urged the masses not to rush to conclusions about Sunday’s election in Myanmar. But at Aung San Suu Kyi’s headquarters on Monday, people were ready to get the party started.
Leaders of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy said Monday they were winning precincts in convincing fashion in early counts. Most of those were in central Myanmar and especially in Yangon, the former Burmese capital known widely as Rangoon.
As those results were announced, Suu Kyi’s supporters started dancing on the sidewalks and into the street, creating a scene more reminiscent of Rio de Janeiro than Yangon, where quiet, humble Buddhist monks walk the streets in their maroon robes. The celebration continued until a heavy rainstorm drove partiers to cover.
“It is time to celebrate, but with a cautious celebration,” said Kwah Thu Aung, leader of a civil society group called Paung Ku who was amid the throng at NLD headquarters on Monday afternoon. “Everyone is aware there are many challenges ahead (for Suu Kyi) with the handover of power.”
Sunday’s election was the first contested general election in 25 years in Myanmar, which the military ruled for decades and where it still remains very much a force. Suu Kyi’s supporters see this election as their chance to abandon that history, but it remains to be seen if they can succeed. Military leaders have long feared Suu Kyi taking the reins of power and diminishing their influence, including control of key businesses in Myanmar. As a result, they designed a 2008 constitution that would keep her from winning the presidency. The constitution bans parties from selecting a presidential candidate who has foreign kin, such as Suu Kyi’s two sons, who hold British passports.
Despite that provision, Suu Kyi vowed during her campaign that, if the NLD triumphed, she would be the de facto leader of the country, serving “above the president,” as she stated in a news conference last week. Analysts say that pledge was at least partly designed to persuade voters that their vote would put her in power, as opposed to a lesserknown presidential candidate the National League for Democracy would name later.
The strategy may have worked. An estimated 80 percent of Myanmar’s 30 million registered voters turned out at the polls, and many made clear they were only voting because of “Mother Suu” — Aung San Suu Kyi.
On Monday evening, Suu Kyi’s party announced it had won 44 of Yangon’s 45 seats in the lower house of Parliament. It also claimed that it had won all 12 seats of Yangon’s seats in the upper house.
There also were signs Suu Kyi’s party was doing unexpectedly well in remote ethnic areas.