Taungnp, Myanmar
Aung San Suu Kyi’s ruling party secured an absolute majority in Myanmar’s election, official results showed on Friday, in a poll disputed by the military-aligned opposition and criticised by rights groups. Her National League for Democracy (NLD) had already declared a landslide victory based on its own tallies, prompting street celebrations by supporters.
But official figures were still being returned five days after the ballot, only the second such polls since the nation emerged from outright military rule in 2011.
Results announced by the election commission on Friday showed the NLD had won 368 seats — more than 50 per cent of parliament, even taking into account the quarter of seats reserved for the military
The party is on track to improve on its landslide win in 2015, despite widespread disillusionment in many ethnic minority areas.
“People clearly realised the need for the NLD to get enough votes to form a government on their own,” NLD spokesman Myo Nyunt told AFP, adding this would help “minimise political conflict”. The military-aligned opposition Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) has been trounced across the country, winning just 25 seats by Friday.—AFP
