Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 29, 1990 TAG: 9005290029
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: The New York Times
DATELINE: BANGKOK, THAILAND LENGTH: Medium
Incomplete results from Sunday's voting, the first multiparty elections in 30 years, indicated the opposition National League for Democracy was well on its way to a majority of the 485 seats in the National Assembly, said party officials and Western diplomats based in Yangon, formerly Rangoon.
Reacting to the results, spokesmen for the military authorities acknowledged at a news conference Monday the League was winning two-thirds of the votes.
They said the military would hand over power after the new Assembly agrees on a constitution and a new government is formed.
The newly elected representatives "can move as quickly as they like and take power," said U Kyaw Sann, one of the spokesmen for the authorities.
Still, there is no firm timetable for transition to civilian rule, and the writing of the constitution could take months and even involve new elections before a government is formed.
Furthermore, the military spokesmen did not disclose how the army would react to the League's first demand after its victory: full freedom for its leadership, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the party leader, who is under house arrest.
Some diplomats remained skeptical and said Monday's statements by the military could be a delaying tactic.
The military has barred foreign journalists from Myanmar in recent months, but last week allowed about 60 reporters, mostly from television and news agencies, to enter the country for the elections.
Burma has been under authoritarian rule since 1962, when Gen. Ne Win took power in a coup, leading the country into isolation and economic ruin with his vision of the "Burmese way to socialism."
by CNB