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Aung San Suu Kyi's historic moment: 5 things to know

Once possibly the world's best-known political prisoner, today Aung San Suu Kyi made the historic move to lawmaker, after a swearing-in ceremony at Myanmar's parliament in the capital of Naypyidaw. Here are five things about her.

3. What does her swearing into parliament mean?

  • By Simon Roughneen Correspondent

For many it means that Aung San Suu Kyi will finally take her rightful place as a lawmaker in the country where she has been an icon for a quarter of a century.

Now she has three years as a lawmaker to build her party up to a point where it can compete in 2015 national elections. If those are free and fair, she has a chance to become prime minister – though that may require amending of the constitution.

The NLD won a landslide victory in the April 1 by-elections that brought Aung San Suu Kyi into office. A repeat result in 2015 is possible, if the military and its now-dominant proxy, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), do not resort to cheating or annulling the result as they did in 1990 when she ran and won, but was placed under house arrest, instead.

Aung San Suu Kyi now faces the nitty-gritty work of proposing and debating laws – on issues such as media reform, land, and investment. Her performance will be scrutinized closely by international and local media.

Aung San Suu Kyi appears to have formed a tentative alliance with President Thein Sein, after a watershed meeting between the pair last July. Since then, Myanmar's reforms have accelerated and she has added her voice and legitimacy to Thein Sein's reform drive, which is said to be watched closely by “hardliners” and old-school junta types in the military, who could move to oust Thein Sein. Aung San Suu Kyi's backing is thought to be key to preventing this.

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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