Suu Kyi set for talks with Myanmar leaders

Myanmar's President Thein Sein and the powerful army chief General Min Aung Hlaing have agreed to meet pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday for the first time since she won the country's fairest elections in 25 years.

Statements from both leaders suggest that the talks with the president will take place on Wednesday morning in the administrative capital Nay Pyi Taw, while the meeting with the military chief would take place in the evening.

Suu Kyi's opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) picked up nearly 80 percent of seats in the November 8 polls, beating the military-backed party.

But uncertainty over the handover of power has increased, with the current leaders until now ignoring the Nobel laureate's call for a smooth transition.

Suu Kyi and the party need to build a strong working relationship with the powerful military for her government to run efficiently.

Smooth transition

The NLD will be the dominant party when Myanmar's new parliament sits in February, while the armed forces will be the largest opposition group. The constitution guarantees unelected members of the military a quarter of seats in both houses.

While her party has won the polls, Suu Kyi is barred under Myanmar's constitution from becoming president because she married and had children with a foreigner. But she has vowed to take on a role "above the presidency" when the party takes power.

Under Myanmar's complex political system, the army-backed parliament will remain in power until at least January, while a new president is unlikely to be sworn in until March.

Suu Kyi has reportedly met Parliament Speaker Shwe Mann and other important powerbrokers several times since the election.

November's election was a landmark vote for many reasons. Since 2011, Myanmar - which used to be known as Burma - has transitioned towards democracy following more than five decades of military rule.

Although her party won 1990 general electionf, the military ignored the result and Suu Kyi was kept under house arrest for almost 15 years.

Despite fears that the military may once again ignore the NLD's win, both Thein Sein and General Hlaing have congratulated Suu Kyi on the poll victory and promised to respect the result.

mm/tj (AFP, dpa, Reuters)