Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi wins by-election: NLD party

Burma’s Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has won a by-election for parliament, her party says, after a landmark vote which saw 45 seats contested. Ms Suu Kyi’s opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) said she had easily won the vote in Kawhmu, though official counts have not yet finished. The NLD was competing in its first elections since 1990. The vote is a key test of promised political reforms, though the military-backed ruling party remains dominant. During the campaign, foreign journalists and international observers were given the widest access for years. The European Union hinted that it could ease some sanctions if the vote went smoothly. “We hope the whole day can be run in a peaceful way and we’ll make an evaluation later on the basis of all the polling sessions that we will be seeing,” EU observer Ivo Belet said. BBC correspondent Rachel Harvey, in Burma, says the NLD alleged some voting irregularities in the capital, Naypyidaw. A NLD spokesman told AFP news agency he had sent a letter of complaint to the election commission over allegations ballot forms had been tampered with. Nyan Win said there had been complaints that wax had been put over the check box for the party, which could later be rubbed off to cancel the vote. “This is happening around the country. The election commission is responsible for what is occurring,” he said.