The people of Myanmar say they′re hopeful for change... now that the country′s opposition
...has won a majority in parliament. Bruce Harrison joins me now in the studio.
Bruce， this victory ends decades of military rule and validates Aung Sun Suu Kyi′s immense
struggle for freedom in her country. Hello Connyoung. The military had sole control
of Myanmar for 50 years. It wasn′t until President Thein Sein took
power in 2011 that democratic and economic reforms began taking shape.
Now that Suu Kyi′s National Liberation for Democracy party is taking control，... there′s
a much better chance those reforms take root over the long－term.
And with it′s majority in parliament， the N－L－D can elect the country′s next
president. The only other time Myanmar held a national
election was in 1990. Suu Kyi′s N－L－D was widely considered
to have won that election，... but military rulers threw out the results and placed Suu
Kyi and many of her colleagues under arrest.
25 years later， and Suu Kyi has a seat in parliament.
But the constitution bans her from becoming president.
Bruce， why′s that？ The constitution was written by the military...
and it bans anyone with foreign family members from becoming president.
Suu Kyi′s late husband was British... and her children hold British passports.
On top of that， her party can′t amend the constitution... because it includes an
effective measure to prevent just that. When the military wrote the constitution，
it gave itself 25 percent of seats in parliament. So even with a majority， Suu Kyi′s N－L－D
doesn′t have the power to push through any amendments.
Suu Kyi′s known that all along... and she′s revered by her party.
So， the N－L－D′s likely going to put forth a candidate the party agrees on.
She indicated they′ll choose a civilian，... saying that′s what′s appropriate.
A top N－L－D leader said Suu Kyi could become someone like Sonia Gandhi.
Gandhi′s the widow of late Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Ms. Gandhi led the Congress party... and with that authority she dominated the government
of former Prime Minister Mahmohan Singh.
Bruce， there′s been concern the elections aren′t as free and fair as they were promoted.
How′s the voting process being viewed？ Ahead of the elections， a U－N investigator
questioned their legitimacy because dozens of candidates had been disqualified... and
hundreds of thousands of people denied voting rights.
That investigator also said restrictions under military rule could put elections at risk.
He was talking about restrictions on freedom of expression， assembly and association...
as well as excessive force against protesters... things the country has seen under the military.
But the U.S. and many other western countries are praising Myanmar President Thein Sein.
U.S. President Barack Obama reportedly called and commended him for holding free and fair
elections.
Bruce， let′s talk about the immediate period after
the election. What needs
to
happen to guarantee a