WASHINGTON, April 2 (Reuters) – The White House on Monday
hailed a strong showing by Aung San Suu Kyi’s pro-democracy
party in Myanmar’s by-elections, calling the vote an important
step in the country’s “democratic transformation.”
“We hope it is an indication that the government of Burma
intends to continue along the path of greater openness,
transparency, and reform,” Jay Carney, press secretary for U.S.
President Barack Obama, said in a statement.
The United States and European Union had hinted they could
lift some sanctions – imposed over the past two decades in
response to human rights abuses – if the election were free and
fair. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy secured 40 of the
45 available legislative seats in Sunday’s poll, the Union
Election Commission said.
(Reporting By Matt Spetalnick)
