Suu Kyi sworn in to Myanmar parliament
Wednesday 02 May 2012
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EmailOpposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sworn in to Myanmar's upper house of parliament today.
She will take public office for the first time since launching her campaign against military rule.
Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party will occupy four of the 224 House of Nationalities seats, which is dominated by President Thein Sein's Union Solidarity and Development Party.
The constitution allots 56 seats to unelected military appointees.
Asked if it would be awkward sitting alongside the army, Ms Suu Kyi said she has "tremendous goodwill toward" the soldiers.
"We just want to make the kind of improvements that will make our national assembly a truly democratic one."
The government has been widely praised for instituting sweeping reforms over the last several months, including releasing hundreds of political prisoners, signing ceasefires with rebels, easing press censorship and holding the April 1 by-election that enabled the NLD to enter parliament.
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