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Myanmar votes in first open election in 25 years

Other News Materials 8 November 2015 11:00 (UTC +04:00)
Voting is under way in Myanmar's general election - the first openly contested poll in 25 years after decades of military rule
Myanmar votes in first open election in 25 years

Voting is under way in Myanmar's general election - the first openly contested poll in 25 years after decades of military rule, BBC reported.

The ruling Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP), backed by the military, is one of the frontrunners.

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) is expected to make large gains, although she is barred from running for the presidency.

Large crowds gathered in Yangon as Ms Suu Kyi arrived to cast her vote.

Across the country, long queues formed at some polling booths, with reports of people queuing from long before dawn.

"I've done my bit for change, for the emergence of democracy," one voter, former teacher Daw Myin, told Reuters.

About 30 million people are eligible to vote in the election in Myanmar (also known as Burma).

Clear results are not expected until Monday morning.

More than 6,000 candidates from over 90 parties are vying to be elected to the 664-seat parliament in the first national elections since a nominally civilian government took power in 2011.

However, 25% of seats are reserved for unelected military representatives, who are expected to side with the USDP.

Ms Suu Kyi, a former Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is barred from the presidency as the constitution disqualifies anyone with foreign offspring.

On Thursday, she said she would be "above the president" if her party won. The NLD must take 67% of all contested seats in order to gain a majority.

Current President Thein Sein said he would accept the election result.

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