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The past Sunday's elections were "not fair but largely free" said the Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in an interview Monday with the BBC.
"The times have changed, the people have changed," she added.
The Nobel Peace laureate’s statements came right after election results showed her National League for Democracy party has taken control of most regional assemblies and will be forming the next government.
The electoral process has been widely considered to be the most democratic in 25 years and Suu Kyi has now sweeping powers and she will be able to reshape the political landscape of the country after decades of military rule.
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#Myanmar elects longtime activist Aung San Suu Kyi in first free election in 25 years https://t.co/ISx1b7l4Ee pic.twitter.com/UPE9ceAFQn
— Occupy Wall Street (@OccupyWallStNYC)
November 9, 2015
However, the 70-year-old politician cannot be president of her country due to a clause in the military-drafted constitution that bars anyone with foreign spouses or offspring from assuming the post: her late husband was a British national, as are their two sons.
Meanwhile, the ruling Union Solidarity Development Party has conceded defeat.
The military-backed political force has been in power since 2011, when the South Asian country began its transition to civilian rule.
RELATED: Human Rights Not a Priority in Myanmar's Election
Despite the political achievement, Suu Kyi has been criticized for avoiding the issue of the growing sectarianism in Myanmar against the Rohingya Muslims - "the world's most persecuted minority", according to the United Nations.
