The National League for Democracy (NLD) said on Monday it is confident it will win more than two thirds of elected seats in parliament, giving it the absolute majority it needs to elect a president and form the next government.
While official results from the Union Election Commission have yet to be released, the party’s own tally by representatives at polling stations shows it is on course for a resounding victory, spokesperson Dr Myo Nyunt told Myanmar Now.
“Looking at the current figures we think we’ll be able to form a government,” he said.
The party’s count as of Monday morning showed that it was set to perform better in the seven Bamar-dominated regions than it did in 2015, he added. But he cautioned that the party may perform less well in some of the ethnically diverse states.
“We won region-wide in Magwe and Ayeyarwady. I’m made aware that we won in Kyaung Kone, Nga Pu Taw, Kan Kyi Htaunt, the constituencies we didn’t win before,” Dr Myo Nyunt said. “In Yangon, we won everywhere except for the Coco islands. But the results are not complete yet.”
Early results confirmed by Myanmar Now show clear wins for the NLD across Mandalay, Naypyitaw and Yangon. Ethnic parties and the Union Solidarity and Development Party have picked up seats in Kachin and Kayah states.
The party also appears to have performed well in Chin state, according to local media there.
“I think this election is a barometer to measure the public’s interest in politics,” Dr Myo Nyunt said.
The NLD needs to win at least 322 seats across Pyithu Hluttaw, or the lower house, and the Amyotha Hluttaw, the upper house, in order to elect a president without help from other parties.
By contrast the USDP would need just 156 seats to form a government, since it would enjoy the support of 166 unelected military MPs. That outcome looks exceedingly unlikely this time around, however.
