Burma’s Opposition claimed a historic victory Sunday for pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in her first bid for a seat in Parliament, sparking scenes of jubilation among supporters. Thousands of people clapped and cheered outside Ms Suu Kyi’s Nation-al League for Democracy headquarters in Rangoon after the party announced the Nobel laureate had won a parliamentary seat after byelections.
Some people danced in the streets while others wept with joy at the news, which if confirmed will mark a stunning turnaround for the former political prisoner, locked up by the former junta for most of the past 22 years.
Ms Suu Kyi won an estimated 99 percent of votes in Kawhmu constituency, an NLD official said, based on the party’s own tally. There was no independent confirmation. The official results are expected within a week.
The party also claimed it was on course to win all 44 seats it contested in Sunday’s byelections, in which a total of 45 seats were at stake — not enough to threaten the Army-backed ruling party’s huge majority in Parliament.