Suu Kyi's party wins an absolute majority in Myanmar parliament

The party of Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's longtime opposition leader, won a decisive victory Thursday in the first democratic election in years in the Southeast Asian nation long run by a military regime.

Suu Kyi, 70, and her party are the longtime foils to the generals who ruled Myanmar from a coup in 1962 until 2011, when they handed power to their political arm after a 2010 vote that was tainted by allegations of fraud and boycotted by the opposition.

The President of the United States, Barack Obama, phoned President Thein Sein to commend him for the successful conduct for Myanmar's historic election.

Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi is barred from the presidency by a provision in the current Constitution, but she has said that she will choose a president to serve as her proxy.

She resumed her political career immediately upon her release and shortly after commenced discussions with the junta about registering her party to join elections and the role she could play in the country's politics. Sofar NLD government has won 348 seats which contributes more than two thirds of the parliamentary seats, still results of many seats have to be announced.

Kocha Olarn CNN

To circumvent this Ms Suu Kyi has said she will rule "above the President", a legally uncertain position that she has not fleshed out in detail.

The President, Thein Sein, sent his congratulations to Daw Suu Kyi for "gathering the support of the people". The ANP won most of the 29 national level seats in Rakhine and took decisive control of the state's regional assembly.

Ban acknowledged the "courage and vision" of Thein Sein, whose quasi-civilian government he said had led Myanmar to Sunday's election through reforms it implemented since coming to power.

Why are recent elections in Myanmar important? There is speculation Tin Oo, 89, a former army general and NLD veteran, will be appointed president, but the politically autocratic Suu Kyi has kept her silence on the matter.

"We have been ready to form a new government for many years", said NLD spokesman Nyan Win, greeting the result.

The election has won praise from observers for its smooth, peaceful passing, in a country where violence and repression has normally met democratic milestones. Before the dictatorship ended, the country's military leaders wrote a constitution with a clause that makes Suu Kyi ineligible for the job because her late husband was British and her two sons hold foreign citizenship.

"We need to prepare to hand over duties systematically and cleanly to the government that will emerge in accord with the desire of the people", Information Minister Ye Htut said in a Facebook post on Friday, a day after a cabinet meeting.

The military and the largest parties in the upper house and the lower house will each nominate a candidate for president.

Burma's military rulers are yet to concede defeat for the ruling, pro-military USDP party, but the army has acknowledged the massive success of the NLD and pledged it will respect the final results.