National League for Democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi met senior officials in Nay Pyi Taw on December 16 to discuss the handover of power to an NLD government, Information Minister U Ye Htut said in a post on his Facebook page.
“Daw Aung San Suu Kyi led the meeting to handover head of state and government duties smoothly and systematically,” U Ye Htut wrote on his popular Facebook page. “At this meeting we discussed procedures for a smooth power transition and cooperation tasks in detail.”
The meeting was also attended by the deputy director-general of the President’s Office, U Zaw Htay, and senior NLD member, U Win Htein.
The handover of power to the NLD following its landslide win in the November 8 general election is due to take place on April 1. A joint sitting of parliament in early February will choose a new president – who will appoint a cabinet – and two vice presidents.
The NLD also won the 1990 election by a landslide but was blocked from assuming power by the military regime that had ruled the country since 1962.
Support more independent journalism like this. Sign up to be a Frontier member.
Fears that the distrusted but powerful Tatmadaw would again try to block the NLD from taking power have eased following a series of post-election meetings between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and senior members of the government and the military establishment.
Since November 8, the NLD leader has held meetings with House speaker Thura U Shwe Mann, President U Thein Sein, Tatmadaw Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, and most recently with former junta chief, U Than Shwe.
The former dictator, who kept Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest from 1989 to 2010, acknowledged after the surprise December 4 meeting that she would be the country’s “future leader”, said a Facebook post by his grandson, Ko Nay Shwe Thway Aung.
