DHAKA: Myanmar’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has declared that her party has the momentum for victory in Sunday’s elections, but warned against ‘ongoing fraudulent actions’ that could disrupt the electoral process.
At a press conference on Thursday ahead of the November 8 parliamentary vote, the Nobel Peace Prize winner said she was ‘increasingly encouraged by the enthusiasm of the people’, even as she bared information about ‘illegal advance voting’ in some areas of the country.
‘If it looks too suspicious, then I think we should make a fuss about it,’ Suu Kyi said, reports Al Jazeera.
Hundreds of local and international reporters lined up outside Suu Kyi’s house as early as 6:00am local time (+0630 GMT) to get a spot at the press conference, a reflection of the attention the opposition leader commands.
On the results of the elections she said, ‘We hope for the best, and prepare for the worst’.
‘If we win the elections, it would be a great leap for democracy,’ she said.
The polls will determine who will lead the country’s two Houses of Parliament, which is tasked to pick the next president.
In both legislative chambers, 25 percent of the seats are reserved for the military, which ruled the South East Asian nation for decades.
Political observers have predicted that Suu Kyi’s party, the National League of Democracy (NLD) will defeat the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party backed by the military.
But it is still unclear if it will win a decisive majority, given the rise of regional parties trying to represent different ethnic groups.
During the mid-term elections in 2012, the NLD won 43 of the 44 seats it contested in the two chambers of parliament and two regional seats.
However, even if her party wins a majority, Suu Kyi still cannot be nominated for president.
Under the current constitution, candidates who are related to a foreign national are disqualified from becoming president. Suu Kyi’s late husband is British, and their children also hold British passports.
BDST: 1527 HRS, Nov 05, 2015
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