Suu Kyi’s party claims landslide victory
YANGON: Aung San Suu Kyi’s ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) said yesterday it was confident of winning a landslide victory in Myanmar as official results trickled in following the weekend’s coronavirus-disrupted election.
Millions lined up for hours to cast their ballots on Sunday, only the second national election since the country emerged from outright military rule in 2011.
Nobel laureate Suu Kyi remains a heroine for many in the Bamar majority heartlands, in spite of a global reputation left in tatters by her handling of the Rohingya crisis and widespread disillusionment in many ethnic minority areas.
Party spokesman Myo Nyunt said information from party agents across the country suggested the NLD had “won a landslide victory”.
“We won’t only win the 322 seats we need to form a government, but we expect to break our 2015 record of 390.”
In 2015, the NLD won a landslide but was forced by the constitution into an uneasy powersharing agreement with the military, which controls three key ministries and a quarter of parliamentary seats.
The military-aligned USDP opposition, Myanmar’s next biggest party, said it was still collecting information and would not comment. Official confirmation of the overall result is not expected for another few days.
Spiralling coronavirus cases did not deter millions from voting on Sunday.
Face masks were compulsory, but crowds ignored physical distancing measures at many polling stations at a time when swathes of the country are in a lockdown.
Suu Kyi refused to delay the polls and many observers fear the day could have been one huge super-spreader event.
But voter Kyaw Min Han, 65, said he had been “very impressed” with the government’s organisation as well as polling station staff and volunteers.