Myanmar’s first openly contested elections in 25 years is crucial for a number of reasons and is undoubtedly a determinant of whether the country’s military will allow democratic stability.
The last time elections were contested in Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi emerged victorious but Myanmar’s military refused to hand over power and placed her under house arrest instead. With fresh parliamentary elections held over the weekend and the initial counting and results trickling in, Aung San Suu Kyi’s party is already claiming victory.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy is already celebrating a likely landslide victory over the military backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).
Although there are no official results yet, the primary consideration will be whether the Military backed party will hand over power in the event that they lose.