Suu Kyi seeks talks with military

Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has requested meetings with the military-backed leadership next week to discuss national reconciliation.

Her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), has taken a decisive lead in results from Sunday's election.

With about 40% of seats declared, the NLD has taken nearly 90% of the vote, leaving the military-backed USDP party with about 5% of seats.

However, a quarter of seats are reserved for the military.

Suu Kyi sent letters to President Thein Sein, the commander of the armed forces and the parliamentary speaker.

The result for the military-backed Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP) - which won the last, widely criticised election five years ago, is a humiliation for the governing party, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Yangon, also known as Rangoon.

It is likely to leave the NLD in a commanding position in the next parliament, opposed only by the military faction, he says.

However, Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from becoming president.

‘PEOPLE'S DESIRE'

Suu Kyi has not declared victory yet, and is treading carefully, say correspondents - calling for meetings next week with the three most senior figures in the current government to discuss an orderly transfer of power.

"A peaceful implementation of the people's desire, which they expressed via the 8 November election, is very important for the country's dignity and people's peace of mind," she wrote in letters made public by the NLD, according to the Irrawaddy news website.

"So I want to discuss with you in the spirit of national reconciliation. So please arrange a time for the meeting that would be convenient for you next week."

In a response on his Facebook page, Information Minister Ye Htut reiterated that the government would respect the results of the poll, but said the requested meeting would only take place after the election commission had done its work, said AP news agency.

Suu Kyi earlier retained her own seat and will return as MP for her Kawhmu constituency in Rangoon - though she leads the NLD she is barred by the constitution from being president.

But she has said "that won't stop me from making all the decisions".

The election commission is slowly releasing results.

The USDP, which has been in power in Myanmar since 2011, has taken 10 of the 491 seats being contested in both houses of parliament, compared to 163 by the NLD.

A quarter of the 664 parliamentary seats are set aside for the army. For the NLD to have the winning majority and be able to select the president, it will need at least two-thirds of the remaining seats - or 329.

About 30 million people were eligible to vote in Sunday's election in Myanmar. Turnout was estimated at about 80%.

Hundreds of thousands of people - including the Muslim Rohingya minority, who are not recognised as citizens - were denied voting rights.

Nonetheless, Sunday's election was seen as the most democratic in Myanmar - also known as Burma - for 25 years.

In an interview with the BBC on Tuesday, her first since the vote, Suu Kyi said the polls were "largely free" though not entirely fair, and that there had been some irregularities.