Reuters, Yangon :
Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi launched her campaign on Tuesday for the first free general election since the end of military rule saying it was a crucial turning point and calling on the global community to monitor the outcome.
In a video message posted on her National League for Democracy’s (NLD) Facebook page, Nobel laureate Suu Kyi said the Nov. 8 election should be free and fair, but “even more important” would be the transition period that follows.
The NLD is expected to win the election, which marks a major shift in Myanmar’s political landscape, giving a platform to democratic activists shut out of public life during nearly half a century of strict military rule that ended in 2011. The NLD won an election in 1990 with a landslide but the junta did not recognise the result.
“For the first time in decades, our people will have a real chance of bringing about real change. This is a chance that we cannot afford to let slip,” said Suu Kyi.
“A smooth and tranquil transition is almost more important than a free and fair election,” said Suu Kyi, wearing a traditional Burmese green dress with a pink scarf.
The campaign begins less then a month after a major presidential contender and opponent of President Thein Sein, powerful parliamentary speaker Shwe Mann, was removed as ruling party leader in a dramatic shake-up of the political establishment.
Shwe Mann’s close relationship with Suu Kyi was regarded with suspicion by the military. His ouster has stoked fears that Thein Sein’s government and its allies will resist any bid to push them from power even if the opposition wins big.
“Please help us by observing what happens before the elections, during the elections, and, crucially, after the elections,” Suu Kyi said, in an appeal to the outside world.
The constitution effectively bars Suu Kyi from becoming president, even if the NLD wins a majority, and it also gives the army a veto over constitutional change.
The NLD’s main rival will be the ruling, army-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).
The USDP won the last general election which was held under military rule in 2010 and widely condemned as rigged in favour of the party, which includes remnants of the old regime and its business allies.
This time, it is expected to lose a significant number of seats.
