Aung San Suu Kyi (File photo)
Myanmar's Union Election Commission (UEC) Wednesday announced that opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has won Sunday's general election and was re-elected as a representative to the House of Representatives (Lower House) of the next parliament.
Representing her National League for Democracy (NLD), Suu Kyi, who is the party chairperson, competed in Yangon's Kawhmu constituency mainly against rival U Kyaw Zin Hein, candidate of the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), and won by 54,676-15,312.
The NLD fielded 1,123 candidates, while the USDP fed 1,122 in running the election.
So far, the NLD has secured a total of 291 seats in three levels of the parliament including 78 in the House of Representatives, 29 in the House of Nationalities and 182 in the Region or State Parliament, according to the result released by the UEC as of Tuesday night.
The USDP held 27 seats, six in the House of Representatives, two in the House of Nationalities and 19 in the Region or State Parliament.
A total of 333 representatives have been elected to parliament at three levels, according to the election result announced by the UEC as of Tuesday night.
The NLD boycotted the country's last general election in 2010 when Suu Kyi was still under house arrest.
Being freed days after that election, Suu Kyi participated in the by-elections in April 2012 following the regaining of her party's legal status.
In the by-elections, the NLD won 43 out of 45 then open parliamentary seats with Suu Kyi herself occupying a seat of House of Representatives. She later became chairperson of the Committee for Rule of Law and Tranquility of the Lower House.
The NLD was established in September 1988 after the military takeover led by then General Saw Maung who was later succeeded by Senior General Than Shwe.
In the 2010 general election, U Thein Sein was elected as the country's president of the first civilian government with the state power transferred from Than Shwe's military government.
