Covid, conflicts, Rohingya: is Suu Kyi really a sure bet in Myanmar election?

Ongoing ethnic conflicts and the plight of the Rohingya don’t appear to have taken the shine off ‘The Lady’ with voters

Her National League for Democracy are favourites to win on November 8 – though Covid-19 could prove a curveball, as could a surge for ethnic parties

Reading Time:7 minutes

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Photo: AP

Published: 9:00am, 26 Sep 2020Updated: 8:18am, 28 Sep 2020

During the 15 years Aung San Suu Kyi was kept under house arrest by Myanmar’s military leadership, she was seen as an icon of democracy and a glimmer of hope for the people of the Southeast Asian country.

Now, five years after her National League for Democracy (NLD) party took power following a landslide victory in 2015, Suu Kyi is still seen by many as the nation’s biggest hope, despite continuing armed conflicts that have wracked the country since its independence.

As a consequence, Suu Kyi – who inspired the 2011 film The Lady – and her party will be the clear favourites when nearly 7,000 candidates from 95 political parties compete for the votes of 37 million people in Myanmar’s general election on November 8.

CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS

While most analysts see Suu Kyi as likely to gain re-election, the election is not without its curveballs – not least among them whether the vote will even go ahead, given the coronavirus pandemic.

After months of relatively low numbers, coronavirus cases suddenly rose last week to a daily rate of about 200. Total cases now number more than 7,290 and there have been at least 130 deaths.

The western state of Rakhine, where the vast majority of new cases have been found, is under lockdown, as are parts of Yangon. Restrictions are in force in several other cities, including the capital Naypyidaw.

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