Aung San Suu Kyi’s party won a landslide victory in Myanmar’s recent general elections. Speculation is rife on who will become the next president.

The National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi won a landslide victory in historic elections on 8 November 2015. It is seen as ushering the end of half a century of military-dominated governments and another step in Myanmar’s arduous transition.

Despite its image as the main obstacle to democracy, Myanmar’s reform process could not have happened without the tacit support of the military leadership, particularly former strongman Senior General Than Shwe. He precipitated the country’s transition to “disciplined democracy” under President Thein Sein’s stewardship. The process has proceeded according to some kind of transition plan backed by the senior military leadership. This plan was driven by two factors: a genuine realisation among the ruling elite that Myanmar needs to catch up with its neighbours; and to secure an ‘exit strategy’ for Than Shwe and his family. The elections also conferred more trust and legitimacy to the reform process.

… Naoko Kumada is a Research Fellow and Kyaw San Wai is a Senior Analyst at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.