RANGOON, MYANMAR — Hundreds of thousands of residents voted Sunday in Myanmar’s first democratic election in years, a historic event that could mark a new era for the country and pave the way to power for the longtime opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
Around the country, voters lined up before the polls opened at 6 a.m. and waited in the hot sun for hours to cast their ballots. Some polls were open after the 4 p.m. closing time because of demand. Afterward, many went on Facebook and posted photos of their ink-stained pinky fingers, the equivalent of an “I voted” sticker in Burma, also known as Myanmar.
By nightfall, hundreds of supporters of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy Party had gathered on the street in front of the party headquarters, waving red balloons, dancing, chanting and watching local election results on big-screen TVs. They cheered every time a yellow ballot was unfurled with a stamp next to a golden peacock, the symbol for the NLD. Some preliminary results might be known Monday, but the final official results could take days.
“We have been suffering for 25 years. Today we change the old system and bring in a new one,” said Theingi, a housewife and mother of two at the rally. She uses only one name.
Suu Kyi’s party was poised to make a strong showing in the Southeast Asian nation of 51 million, which was isolated from the world for more than half a century under a military dictatorship.
But the path to victory is hardly clear. Party members appear confident they will get the majority needed to govern. But the military will still control 25 percent of the seats in parliament and key ministries. A constitutional provision bars Suu Kyi, called “Mother Suu,” from becoming president. And the country has more than 90 parties, smaller groups that support Myanmar’s ethnic minorities that will also play a factor in forming a new government. (FULL TEXT) via washingtopost.com
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Related: Myanmar ruling party concedes as Suu Kyi heads for poll landslide (Reuters)
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