Myanmar opposition secures 536 parliamentary seats

The Associated Press, citing an NLD statement, reported that President Thein Sein congratulated Suu Kyi and promised a peaceful transfer of power.

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is welcomed by supporters upon arrival at the headquarters of her National League for Democracy party Monday.

However, under the constitution drawn up by Myanmar's former junta, Suu Kyi is barred from the presidency because she was married to a foreigner and her children are foreign nationals, a clause few doubt was inserted specifically to rule her out.

Thein Sein reiterated that the government would accept the results of the election and agreed to Suu Kyi's request to hold reconciliation talks soon, although the two are still to agree on the time and location of the negotiations.

She added a number of "areas of intimidation" were noted.

The departing speaker of the lower house of Parliament, Thura Shwe Mann, suggested that he was open to the meeting, saying on that he wished to "work together to build a stable, peaceful and developed country". She said on Tuesday that the president would "have no authority" and "will act in accordance with the decisions of the party" - an audacious statement seen as antagonistic towards the military.

The ruling military-backed Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP) - which won the last, widely criticised election five years ago - has so far gained only 5% of the seats being contested in Myanmar, known as Burma.

NLD co-founder Tin Oo said the party expects to win about 80 per cent of the votes - putting it on par with the party's 1990 landslide which was then annulled by the military.

In an indication of the political maze ahead, NLD spokesman Nyan Win said the talks are "our first move".

Though not without flaws, Myanmar's historic parliamentary election still brings a glimmer of hope for loosening the military's stranglehold on the long-repressed nation.

Suu Kyi, however, has vowed to rule from "above the president", indicating she will use a proxy to sidestep the bar on her reaching top office.

Aung San Suu Kyi was quite confident and appeared to sense that her hour has come.

In addition to holding an unelected 25 percent bloc of seats in parliament, the commander-in-chief nominates the heads of three powerful ministries - interior, defence and border security.

If the NLD secures a two-thirds majority of the parliamentary seats at stake - a likely scenario now - it would gain control over the executive posts under Burma's complicated system. Indeed, one defeated USDP heavyweight said Suu Kyi's triumph would mean more money for established business interests, not less.

"The citizens have expressed their will in the election", she said.

The public is electing 168 of the 224 representatives in the upper house of the national parliament, with the remaining quarter of the seats reserved for lawmakers appointed by the military.

More than 30 million people cast votes in Sunday's election, which worldwide observers mostly praised as successful, while raising concerns over the disenfranchisement of Muslims and other minorities and about the lack of transparency on the counting of advance ballots.

The UEC on Wednesday announced that Suu Kyi had won the general election and was re-elected as a representative to the House of Representatives of the next parliament.