Myanmar’s Suu Kyi eyes landslide election win

YANGON - Agence France-Presse

AP Photo

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi called on her party June 21 to push for a landslide victory at crucial elections expected later this year as she celebrated her birthday with supporters.

The comments came after the Nobel Peace Prize winner, who turned 70 on June 19, cut a birthday cake alongside fellow National League for Democracy (NLD) luminaries during an official celebration at a restaurant famed for being a dissident meeting place. Myanmar is expected to hold its first national vote in a quarter of a century sometime in October or November with many expecting Suu Kyi’s NLD to sweep the board if the polls are free and fair. But the dissident turned opposition politician warned party members against showing any complacency in the run up to the vote.

“We the National League for Democracy need to have a landslide win in the election,” she told supporters.

“Whatever we continue to do, with the support of the people and the strong will of our party members we will be successful,” she added. Under Myanmar’s constitution, a quarter of parliamentary seats are still reserved for unelected soldiers. Analysts say the NLD needs to win as many seats as possible if they hope to challenge the military’s hold on parliament.