Myanmar election: Aung San Suu Kyi wins her seat

Times of change may be dawning in Myanmar’s political scene. Aung San Suu Kyi has won her seat after Myanmar's historic election on November 8, with her National League for Democracy (NLD) party on course for a landslide victory.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visits Daw Aung San Suu Kyi at her house in Rangoon, Burma, on December 2, 2011

Ms Suu Kyi will return as MP (Minister of Parliament) for her Kawhmu constituency in Yangon - though she leads the NLD she is barred by the constitution from being president. But she has said "that won't stop me from making all the decisions".

Two decisions proved key in reaching today's moment of victory. The first was Ms. Suu Kyi’s adherence to Gandhian principles of non-violence. She believed armed struggle to be morally wrong but also knew it would be counterproductive. The world and - more importantly - the people agreed.

Mahatma Gandhi spinning yarn, in the late 1920s. He was the leader of the Indian independence movement in British-ruled India. Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world

There was also an extremely painful and personal stand. By refusing to go into exile and remaining in Burma under house arrest, Ms Suu Kyi was separated from her husband and two sons. It was a sacrifice shared by her family but deeply appreciated by tens of millions of Burmese.

Sunday's election was seen as the most democratic in Myanmar for 25 years and ends nearly 50 years of military rule. The election commission is slowly releasing results, with the latest official count giving the NLD a commanding lead over all other parties, most crucially the military-backed Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP).

Myanmar Army Honour Guards saluting the arrival of Thai delegation in October 2010

The USDP, which has been in power in Myanmar since 2011, has taken 10 of the 491 seats being contested in both houses of parliament, compared to 163 by the NLD. A quarter of the 664 parliamentary seats are set aside for the army. For the NLD to have the winning majority and be able to select the president, it will need at least two-thirds of all seats.

Trio of young Burmese women

With official results still being announced from counting centres across the country it might have seemed premature to declare victory. But Aung San Suu Kyi is brimming with confidence. She commented,

"The times have changed, the people have changed."

(All images - credit: Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licence)