Myanmar junta dismisses Suu Kyi victory

Myanmar's ruling junta said the passing of its constitution in a May referendum--widely dismissed by critics as unfair--shows the public no longer cares about the electoral success by the detained Nobel laureate.

Suu Kyi's party won 392 out of 485 seats in the election, the first freely contested poll in nearly three decades. However, the ruling military refused to hand over power, insisting a new constitution was needed before this could be done.

The military drafted a much-maligned constitution that reinforces its iron grip on power. The constitution was approved in May by 92.48 percent of the vote, but critics say it was marred by irregularities, including reports of citizens being forced to vote yes.

Rather than fighting to get the 1990 results recognized, the Myanma Ahlin newspaper called for the National League for Democracy to spend its energy preparing for a new 2010 election.

"The NLD should prepare for the forthcoming elections instead of clinging onto the 1990 election results, which have already gone down the drain," the commentary said.

The constitution guarantees 25 percent of parliamentary seats to the military and allows the president to hand over all power to the military in a state of emergency.

It also bars anyone who enjoyed the rights and privileges of a foreign citizen from holding public office. This would keep Suu Kyi out of government because her late husband, Michael Aris, was a Briton and their two sons are British.

Last month, the newspaper said the referendum showed citizens have forsaken Suu Kyi and were ready to give the military a "political leadership role."

The military, which has held power since 1962, has been widely condemned for suppressing democracy and committing human rights abuses. Suu Kyi, who is under house arrest, has spent more than a dozen of the last 19 years in detention.