As the countdown begins on the 2020 Myanmar parliament polls, Aung San Suu Kyi‘s ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) could take heart from this week’s clean sweep of the Yangon city polls.
Ninety out of the 91 NLD candidates who contested the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC) elections had won.
As many as 272 candidates of different parties and independents contested the 105 seats in the YCDC, results for which were declared on Monday, a day after the polls were held.
In number one constituency of six YCDC member seats, candidate Win Myint Than from NLD party won with 48,138 votes.
In number two constituency another NLD candidate Thura Aung won with 58,187 votes.
In number 3 constituency, NLD candidate Soe Lwin won with 28,780 and in constituency number 4, another NLD party candidate Sein Ohn won with 53,876 votes.
In constituency number 5, NLD candidate Nant Suu Shwe Sin won with 32,726 votes and in constituency Number 6, another NLD party candidate Min Han won with 59,217 votes.
NLD party won 84 township-level committee member seats in the elections.
But the bad news is the level of people’s participation.
The election watchdog group, People’s Alliance for Credible Elections (PACE), said that voter turnout was a mere 10 per cent of eligible three million voters.
Ahead of the 2020 parliament polls, the NLD has sought to reform the 2008 Constitution.
Also read: Myanmar army warns against constitutional change
A parliamentary committee has been formed despite opposition from the military MPs.
Sources close to the powerful military say that it may agree to change the clause that denies Aung San Suu Kyi a chance to run for president but it would resist any effort to dilute the one-fourth share of parliament seats the military now enjoys – or control over three crucial ministries of Home, Defence and Border Affairs.