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Suu kyi discusses government formation with army chief

Sentinel Digital Desk

y Pyi Taw, Jan 25: Leader of Myanmar’s election-winning opposition party, the tiol League for Democracy (NLD), Aung San Suu Kyi met with Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Services Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing in y Pyi Taw on Monday. Both held discussions on formation of the new government among a series of matters dealing with post-election transition, Xinhua cited the Defence Services office as saying. They also touched on issues related to peace and tranquility during the period and parliamentary affairs as well as continued implementation of tionwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) after its signing for lasting peace.

Suu Kyi and Min Aung Hlaing last met on December 2, 2015, for the first dialogue in response to Suu Kyi’s call after NLD won a landslide victory in the November 8 general elections. The next term of sessions of the House of Representatives and the House of tiolities of parliament, produced through the November 8 general elections, are due to begin on February 1. The current term of parliament, which was produced through the 2010 general elections and ran from 2011, will expire on January 30.

Meanwhile, Myanmar’s Union Election Commission has appointed 366 military-represented parliament members to three levels of the new parliament to take up 25 percent share of seats at each level of the legislative body. Myanmar held a general election to elect representatives on November 8, 2015. In accordance with the election results, the NLD won the absolute majority of the parliamentary seats, which is strong enough for it to form a new government independently under the constitution. According to the existing 2008 constitution, besides the elected representatives, the military possesses 25 percent of non-elected parliamentary seats in each level of parliament, directly nomited by the commander-in chief of the defence services. (IANS)