Hundreds of supporters are dancing and singing outside the headquarters of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Rangoon’s Bahan Township as news filters down from across the country that the opposition party has swept to a landslide victory in Sunday’s by-elections.
By 8 pm, NLD sources had claimed that the party had won all 12 seats where all the votes had been counted.
Cheers greet every loudspeaker announcement as the party confidently relays figures from its observers at polling stations, and predicts victory in the vast majority of the 45 constituencies that were contested.
Although the counting of ballots continues throughout the country, the NLD supporters have assumed a resounding victory against the ruling USDP, and the celebrations look set to continue into the night. Music almost drowns out the announcement of results, and traffic has come to a standstill as crowds throng the streets.
