NLD may not win fight to change constitution in Myanmar

YANGON, Nov 19 (AFP): Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party admitted Wednesday it cannot win its fight to change a constitution that bars her from Myanmar's presidency, after authorities ruled out charter amendments before 2015 elections.

Nyan Win, spokesman for her National League for Democracy, said an effective army veto in parliament meant the NLD could not prevail in its efforts to overhaul the constitution during an ongoing debate in parliament.

Parliamentary representatives of the powerful military have lined up during the debate to voice opposition to any change that would threaten their position in the legislature, where they hold a quarter of all seats.

"Calculate the ratio mathematically. We cannot win (the fight to change key sections of the constitution)," Nyan Win told AFP, listing both the clause that bars Suu Kyi and the one that gives the military the final say on amendments.

"So why are we working for it? Because we believe in democracy," he added, in some of the party's most downbeat remarks on a charter which many believe was specifically designed to thwart Suu Kyi's political rise.

Legislators will choose a new president after a general election in November 2015, which Suu Kyi's party is expected to win if polls are free and fair.

But the veteran democracy campaigner cannot stand for the top post because a clause in the constitution, 59f, bans those with a foreign spouse or children. Her two sons are British, as was her late husband.

US President Barack Obama last week raised concerns about the clause, saying "the amendment process needs to reflect inclusion rather than exclusion".

Parliament speaker Shwe Mann said Tuesday a referendum would be held next May on any charter amendments approved by parliament after the current heated debate in the capital Naypyidaw.