Brussels, 02/04/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 2 April, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton congratulated the Burmese government and people for the way in which the elections on 1 April were held. The president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, said that this vote would be considered historic. On 2 April, he said that, “if the elections are followed by new reforms, this could prove to be a turning point in the history of Myanmar, marking the beginning of a shift from autocracy towards the path of democracy” that the Burmese people and international community have been waiting for over the past 50 years. He said that he was reassured by the elections in Burma despite irregularities identified and hoped that these irregularities would be immediately tackled by the authorities.
Martin Schulz also congratulated the National League for Democracy and its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, on its overwhelming victory. He urged the country's leaders to continue the reform process and stressed that the EU would take into consideration these reforms when it reviewed its restrictive measures (see other article).
Catherine Ashton emphasised that the EU would continue to support the ongoing reforms. She added that, “We will continue to support the ongoing reforms in Myanmar and look forward to developing a new and cooperative relationship as these go forward."
The National League for Democracy claims that it has won at least 43 of the 44 seats that it was contesting, including the constituency where Suu Kyi was running in the election. No official results, however, have yet been announced. On Monday, ASEAN said that the election had been, “free, fair and transparent”. The ASEAN delegation has not observed any incidents that could have affected the process or the results of the elections despite the complaints about intimidation and irregularities. (CG/transl.fl)