Myanmar’s Suu Kyi vows victory in election as campaign starts despite virus surge
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi launched her re-election bid on Tuesday ahead of polls set for November, vowing victory at a scaled-down ceremony in the capital after her original plans were scuppered by a surge in coronavirus cases.
“Today, our victory campaign has begun,” she said, before hoisting the party’s flag at the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) headquarters in Naypyitaw at an event broadcast on her Facebook page.
The election is set to serve as a test of the country’s first democratic government in half a century and is seen by analysts as an important test of Myanmar’s transition away from direct military rule as it grapples with crises on multiple fronts.
Suu Kyi, who rules as state counselor, had planned to launch her campaign in the commercial capital of Yangon but cancelled the trip on Monday on advice of the health ministry.
