Myanmar Holds Historic Elections

05:39

November 09, 2015

A man holds up a sign stating 'we must win' as crowds gather for the election result announcement in front of the National League for Democracy's headquarters after Myanmar's first free and fair election on November 9, 2015 in Yangon, Myanmar. The elections are Myanmar's first openly contested polls in 25 years, following decades of military rule. Noble laureate Aung San Suu Kyi appeared poised to win power in Myanmar, despite her party's growing concerns about cheating in yesterday's historic election. (Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League of Democracy says it's confident of victory in Myanmar's first openly-contested election in a generation.

Technically, the Nobel Laureate can't be president of the Southeast Asian nation, but the BBC's Jonathan Head tells Here & Now host Jeremy Hobson that she will effectively run the country if her opposition party comes out on top in the final election results.

Note: This BBC interview can be heard in the Here & Now podcast or with the WBUR app.

Guest

Jonathan Head, Southeast Asia correspondent for BBC News. He tweets @pakhead.

This segment aired on November 9, 2015.

bbc-content