Myanmar awaits results of landmark election

People in Myanmar are awaiting the results of the first openly contested national election in 25 years, with the National League for Democracy (NLD) expected to make sweeping gains.

Preliminary results are expected later on Monday.

But NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi has hinted at victory saying: "I think you all have the idea of the results."

The military-backed Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP) has been in power since 2011.

Ms Suu Kyi was speaking to reporters and supporters at the NLD's headquarters in Yangon earlier on Monday. She also said it was "still a bit early to congratulate our candidates who will be the winners".

The acting chairman of the USDP has told BBC Burmese that he has lost his own seat in the constituency of Hinthada to the NLD - seen as a key indicator of election results.

A quarter of the parliamentary seats are reserved for the army, and for the NLD to have the winning majority it will need at least two-thirds of the contested seats.

it is reportedly by no means impossible if the party, which is popular in urban areas, manages to win seats in rural areas which tend to be dominated by ethnic minorities.

But Ms Suu Kyi cannot become president because the constitution bars anyone with foreign children from holding the post. Her two sons, with her late husband, are British.

It is thought that if the NLD win, it will face difficulties in changing the constitution on its own as the document still gives the military considerable power, and the party would most likely nominate someone else to be president. Ms Suu Kyi has said she would be "above the president".

Tens of thousands of officials and volunteers have been counting the votes, first in each of the 50,000 polling stations, then tallying them in constituency offices of the Election Commission.

In one of the earliest and most significant known results, the ruling party's Shwe Mann, who is Speaker of the lower house of parliament, conceded defeat in his constituency to the NLD candidate.

The full results will not be known for at least a few days, and the president will only be chosen in February or possibly later.

International observers say the voting process was generally smooth, with some isolated irregularities.

And hundreds of thousands of people - including minority Rohingya Muslims - were also denied voting rights, raising concerns about the fairness of the poll.

US Secretary of State John Kerry hailed the elections as a step towards democracy, but added that they were far from perfect.

After the euphoria of a historic election day, now the potentially fractious count.

Already the opposition NLD is complaining about the way large numbers of votes cast in advance of polling day were brought into the count late, apparently favouring the incumbent USDP.

The Election Commission has also delayed its first official announcement by several hours, although this is probably down to predictable logistical challenges.

Human rights groups have already criticised the Election Commission's lack of independence. Election monitors have raised concerns over the absence of agreed procedures for resolving disputed results.

So a number of big questions still hang over this momentous turning point for Myanmar.

About 30 million people were eligible to vote in Sunday's election in Myanmar, which is also known as Burma.

Turnout has been estimated at about 80%, in what were the first national elections since a nominally civilian government took power in 2011.

More than 6,000 candidates from more than 90 parties were vying for parliamentary seats.

Caption : Ms Suu Kyi addressed a crowd at NLD's headquarters in Yangon on Monday (image : AP)

Report by : BBC