The result in Myanmar

Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD party comfortably won more seats than were needed for an absolute majority

The magic number was 329, which was passed some time during the night of November 12-13, with Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) comfortably winning more seats than were needed for an absolute majority in both the upper and lower houses of parliament in Myanmar. The defeat of the incumbent party was truly crushing, and the army-backed Union Solidarity and the Development Party gained only 40 seats. The NLD majority is set to rise as the final 17 per cent of results are announced in coming days, all of these results being from far-flung and remote areas.

There had been an expectation that the NLD would win, but there had been no expectation that it would do so by such a margin. The elections appear to have been conducted in an orderly manner, there was little if any violence or voter intimidation, there have been no cries of ‘foul’ or accusations of rigging thus far and the sitting government and the military have said that they will honour the result and abide by the will of the people. Victory celebrations aside, the military, humbled as it now is, holds the balance of power with 25 seats by right in parliament, and the power of veto always at hand. Aung San Suu Kyi cannot become president as she is barred by the Constitution and just who will be the next president of Myanmar is beyond the powers of divination of any of the players. It is going to take months to make the transition and to swear in a new government, find a president and appoint a cabinet, none of whom will have a hand in governance before in their lives. There are hard questions to be answered by Aung San Suu Kyi as to just how much power she is prepared to delegate and exactly what is going to be her role. There are questions also about how the NLD will respond to the fight for their rights by the Muslim Rohingya. A notable, indeed stunning victory, but a hard road still lies ahead for Myanmar.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th, 2015.

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