YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday hinted that her party will win the country’s historic elections, and urged supporters not to provoke their losing rivals.
In her first comments after Sunday’s elections, Suu Kyi told a crowd gathered at the National League for Democracy party that the results won’t be announced soon, “but I think you all have the idea of the results.”
“It is still a bit early to congratulate our candidates who will be the winners,” she said. “I want to remind you all that even candidates who didn’t win have to accept the winners but it is important not to provoke the candidates who didn’t win to make them feel bad.”
Officials across Myanmar were counting votes from the election in which the NLD is expected to finish with the largest number of seats in Parliament. But its road to forming a government remains filled with hurdles even though the country will move a step closer to greater democracy.
“DAWN OF A NEW ERA. Millions vote in historic election,” was the banner headline of New Light of Myanmar, a government-owned newspaper, on Monday, reflecting how much Myanmar has changed since the military gave up its half-century rule in 2011.
Sunday’s vote was billed as the freest ever in this Southeast Asian nation, which has been run by a quasi-civilian government for the last five years in a scripted transition toward democracy. Many of the eligible 30 million voters cast ballots for the first time, including Suu Kyi, the epitome of the democracy movement.
Although 91 parties contested, the main fight was between the NLD and the ruling Union Solidarity Development Party, made up largely of former junta members. A host of other parties from ethnic minorities, who form 40 percent of Myanmar’s 52 million people, are also running.
“I’m really happy because from what I heard the NLD is winning. I couldn’t sleep until 11 or 12 because I was looking everywhere for results,” said San Win, a 40-year-old newspaper vendor.
“Things will change. If it does Mother Suu will do her best for the country,” Tun Khin, another vendor, chipped in, referring to Suu Kyi with the affectionate term that many here use.
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Associated Press journalists Vijay Joshi, Robin McDowell, Grant Peck, Denis Gray and Jerry Harmer in Yangon and Jocelyn Gecker in Bangkok contributed to this report.
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