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Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi: NLD has won election majority | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi has told the BBC she believes her party has won a parliamentary majority, in her first interview since the historic elections. | |
Early results point to a sweeping victory for her National League for Democracy (NLD), but final official results will not be known for days. | Early results point to a sweeping victory for her National League for Democracy (NLD), but final official results will not be known for days. |
The election was seen as the most democratic in Myanmar for 25 years. | |
In an exclusive interview with the BBC's Fergal Keane, Ms Suu Kyi said the polls were not fair but "largely free". | |
She said there had been "areas of intimidation". | |
A quarter of Myanmar's 664 parliamentary seats are set aside for the army, and for the NLD to have the winning majority it will need at least two-thirds of the contested seats. | |
But Ms Suu Kyi told the BBC that her party has surpassed that, and has won around 75%. | |
The military-backed Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP) has been in power in Myanmar since 2011 when the country began its transition from decades of military rule to a civilian government. | The military-backed Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP) has been in power in Myanmar since 2011 when the country began its transition from decades of military rule to a civilian government. |
Fergal Keane, BBC News, Yangon | Fergal Keane, BBC News, Yangon |
Aung San Suu Kyi was brimming with confidence. This was a leader who strongly sensed her hour had come. | Aung San Suu Kyi was brimming with confidence. This was a leader who strongly sensed her hour had come. |
"The times have changed, the people have changed," she said. | "The times have changed, the people have changed," she said. |
On the vexing question of the presidency from which she is constitutionally barred, she repeated she would make the big decisions while a colleague holds the post, joking: "A rose by another name." | On the vexing question of the presidency from which she is constitutionally barred, she repeated she would make the big decisions while a colleague holds the post, joking: "A rose by another name." |
We met in the garden of the house where she had spent so many years under house arrest and where I first interviewed her 20 years ago. | We met in the garden of the house where she had spent so many years under house arrest and where I first interviewed her 20 years ago. |
From the symbol of an embattled and then fragile democracy movement she has become the steely leader of a government in waiting. | From the symbol of an embattled and then fragile democracy movement she has become the steely leader of a government in waiting. |
Follow Fergal on Twitter | |
'Delaying intentionally' | |
Results from Sunday's election are slowly being announced. The election commission says the NLD has taken 78 of the 88 seats announced so far for the 440-seat lower house of parliament. | |
NLD spokesman Win Htein has accused the election commission of "delaying intentionally" the release of results, saying "they are trying to be crooked". | |
Whichever party wins, Ms Suu Kyi cannot be chosen as president because the constitution blocks people with foreign offspring from holding the post. | |
She has always said she would lead the country anyway. | |
On Tuesday she said she would find a president as required, but "that won't stop me from making all the decisions as the leader of the winning party". | |
When asked if this was fair, she said: "I believe in transparency and accountability... it works much better if I'm open about it if I tell the people." | When asked if this was fair, she said: "I believe in transparency and accountability... it works much better if I'm open about it if I tell the people." |
Clause 58 of the country's constitution states that the president "takes precedence over all other persons" in Myanmar, also known as Burma. | Clause 58 of the country's constitution states that the president "takes precedence over all other persons" in Myanmar, also known as Burma. |
The selection of the president is not expected to take place until at least February. | |
Myanmar's historic election | Myanmar's historic election |
Four possible outcomes from a crucial election | |
Aung San Suu Kyi: international symbol of peaceful resistance | |
'Abandoned people': What rights do the Rohingya Muslims have? | 'Abandoned people': What rights do the Rohingya Muslims have? |
Elections explained: Why does this vote matter? | Elections explained: Why does this vote matter? |
Decision-making in the Delta: Jonathan Head on the small but crucial town of Hinthada | |
About 30 million people were eligible to vote in Sunday's election in Myanmar. Turnout was estimated at about 80%. | |
But hundreds of thousands of people - including minority Rohingya Muslims, who are not recognised as citizens - were also denied voting rights, raising concerns about the fairness of the poll. | |
Ms Suu Kyi, whose party like many others did not field a Muslim candidate, has been criticised by some for failing to speak up more for Muslims, who have been targeted by ultra-nationalist Buddhist groups. | |
She told the BBC that an NLD government would protect Muslims, and added that those who inflame hatred should face prosecution. | |
She said: "Prejudice is not removed easily and hatred is not going to removed easily... I'm confident the great majority of the people want peace⦠they do not want to live on a diet of hate and fear." |