Suu Kyi’s supporters jubilant after sweep

The party of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi won Myanmar’s weekend bye-elections by a landslide, claiming all but one of the vacant seats and clearing the way for the former political prisoner to enter parliament in a historic vote that could lead the West to end sanctions. The charismatic Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who led the struggle against military rule in the former Burma for two decades, seems set to be one of 44 new National League for Democracy (NLD) legislators, the party said on Monday. The NLD did not contest one of the 45 bye-elections. “As far as we have heard from our sources, NLD candidates won in all 44 seats. I think the Election Commission will come up with official announcements soon,” NLD campaign manager Nyan Win told Reuters. San Suu Kyi hailed a “victory of the people” after her National League for Democracy (NLD) party declared she had won a seat in parliament for the first time. “It’s usual that NLD members and supporters are happy at this moment,” she said in a statement. “But words, behaviour and actions that can harm and sadden other parties and people must be avoided completely. I would like all NLD members to ensure that the victory of the people is a dignified victory,” she added. If confirmed, the clean sweep would mean the NLD even won four seats in the capital, Naypyitaw, a new city built by the former junta where most of the residents are government employees and military personnel. The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which will remain the biggest in parliament even if the NLD bye-election victories are confirmed, could not be reached for comment. The United States and European Union had hinted they could lift some sanctions — imposed over the past two decades in response to human rights abuses — if the election was free and fair. Lifting sanctions could unleash a wave of investment in the resource-rich country bordering India and China. A US legislator who has drafted sanctions against Myanmar said on Sunday that it was premature to ease pressure despite the bye-elections. Representative Joe Crowley, a member of President Barack Obama’s Democratic Party from New York, saluted the “incredible perseverance and courage” of Suu Kyi but said it was “important to keep things in perspective.” “Far too many political prisoners are still locked behind bars, violence continues against ethnic minorities and the military dominates not only the composition but the structure of the government,” he said. Suu Kyi had complained last week of “irregularities” in the voting process though none seemed significant enough to question the vote. Voters had filed into makeshift polling stations from dawn on Sunday, some gushing with excitement after casting ballots for the frail-looking Suu Kyi, or “Aunty Suu” as she is affectionately known. Among supporters who voted in her rustic constituency of bamboo-thatched homes in Kawhmu, there was little doubt she would win. “Almost everyone we asked voted for Aunty Suu,” said Ko Myint Aung, a 27-year-old shop owner. To be regarded as credible, the vote needed the blessing of Suu Kyi, who was freed from house arrest in November 2010, six days after a widely criticised general election that paved the  way for the end of 49 years of direct army rule and the opening of a parliament stacked with retired or serving military.