Aung San Suu Kyi makes first campaign trip for Burmese elections

Thousands of people turn out in Dawei for opposition leader's first political trip since announcing run for parliament
Aung San Suu Kyi receives flowers from her supporters
Aung San Suu Kyi receives flowers from supporters. Photograph: Nyein Chan Naing/EPA

Thousands of supporters cheered Aung San Suu Kyi on a visit ahead of byelections in Burma.

Throngs of people lined the roads of several towns in the southern district of Dawei shouting: "Long live Daw Aung San Suu Kyi!" Many waved bouquets of flowers and some hoisted babies on their shoulders to glimpse the Nobel peace laureate on her first political trip since announcing a run for parliament.

"We will bring democracy to the country," Suu Kyi told a crowd gathered outside a provincial office of her National League for Democracy party. "We will work for development. We will bring rule of law to the country, and we will see to it that repressive laws are repealed. We can overcome any obstacle with unity and perseverance."

Suu Kyi, 66, has spent 15 of the past 23 years under house arrest and has never held elected office. If she wins, she is likely to have limited power in the legislature, which remains dominated by the military and the ruling party, but victory would be highly symbolic and give her a voice in government for the first time.

The nominally civilian government has enacted a series of reforms since taking over when a military junta ceded power last year. It released hundreds of political prisoners, reached ceasefire deals with ethnic rebels, increased media freedoms and eased censorship laws.

The byelection is being held on 1 April to fill 48 seats in the lower house of parliament that were vacated after members were appointed to the cabinet and other posts. Suu Kyi's party boycotted the last vote in 2010, but registered this month for the byelection after authorities amended electoral laws, enabling her party to legally participate.

The Election Commission must still accept Suu Kyi's candidacy in the constituency of Kawhmu, a poor district south of Rangoon. A ruling is expected in February.

In Dawei, she was garnering support for another candidate running for a parliament seat, said a party spokesman, Nyan Win. She will make similar campaign trips to other areas, including the country's second-largest city, Mandalay, in early February before campaigning for her own seat, Nyan Win said.

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