Myanmar: Election Results and Political Future

Aung San Suu Kyi, the renowned pro-democracy figure and leader of the opposition party in Myanmar (Burma), stated she is ready to confront the powerful military's efforts to limit her after winning the historic elections on Sunday, November 8. According to Reuters, as the votes are counted, it becomes clear that the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi will secure a majority of seats in local assemblies and the necessary votes to form a central government. This victory will transform Myanmar's political landscape. Under the constitution written by the military government, Aung San Suu Kyi cannot become president because her children hold foreign citizenship. Many believe this specific clause was designed to prevent her presidency. However, the Nobel Peace Prize winner stated in two interviews on Tuesday that regardless of who is appointed president by the new parliament, she will hold the main power. In an interview with the BBC, she said as the leader of the winning party, she will personally make all major decisions and told Asia News that the future president will have little power and authority. The ruling party, established by the military and led by retired military personnel, has accepted defeat in this historic vote, which could pave the way for a transition from dictatorship to a democratic system. The NLD claims that vote counting shows it will secure more than two-thirds of the parliamentary seats, which is sufficient to form the first elected government since the 1960s. According to the constitution approved by Myanmar's military, one-quarter of the seats in the lower house of parliament are appointed and belong to the armed forces. This parliament has 440 seats, and the NLD predicts it will win between 250 to 330 seats. It seems that the NLD will achieve a similar victory in local assemblies as well. A party spokesperson stated that the difference in votes between them and other parties is significant. Reuters reminds that the accuracy of these predictions cannot be confirmed with certainty at this time. Although the military-affiliated party has apparently suffered a heavy defeat and the ruling forces are taken aback by Aung San Suu Kyi's victory, the military still holds considerable power in Myanmar. In addition to the military's fixed and appointed share of parliamentary seats, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces proposes officials for three important ministries: the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Defense. The constitution allows the army commander to assume complete power in the country under special conditions. The military has announced it will accept the election results, and Aung San Suu Kyi has stated that compared to the 1990s when the military did not accept her electoral victory, the situation has changed. Following that election, Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest for years. In part of her interview with the BBC, she said, 'I think people today are more political than they were back then. Therefore, it has become harder for those who want to engage in illegal actions.' Aung San Suu Kyi asserts that regardless of who is appointed president by the new parliament, she will hold the main power. Many analysts believe Myanmar is facing a period of uncertainty as it is unclear whether Aung San Suu Kyi and the military leaders can share power and govern the country together. Since 2011, when the military transferred power to a relatively civilian government, reforms have been implemented in Myanmar, and the country has opened its doors to foreign investors. As soon as international sanctions were lifted, foreign investment began in the country, doubling from 2012 to 2014 to reach $8 billion. In recent years, tensions and violence between nationalist Buddhists and the Muslim minority have increased, and the majority of the one million Muslims in Myanmar were not allowed to participate in the recent elections. Aung San Suu Kyi has faced criticism for her silence regarding the persecution and discrimination against the Muslim minority. In her interview on Sunday, she stated without addressing this issue that she would defend the rights of all citizens of Myanmar and added, 'Although eradicating discrimination is not easy, the people of the country do not want to live in an atmosphere of fear and hatred.'