In her clearest statement yet of her political ambitions, Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi told international business and political leaders on Thursday that she hoped to become her country’s next President.
Delegates attending the Asian edition of the World Economic Forum in Myanmar’s capital heard visions of the country’s future from Ms. Suu Kyi and from the other key figure transforming it today, President Thein Sein.
“I want to run for President, and I am quite frank about it,” Ms. Suu Kyi said. “There are those who say that I shouldn’t say that I want to run for the presidency, but if I pretended that I don’t want to be, I wouldn’t be honest. And I want to be honest to my people.”
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In 2012, Ms. Suu Kyi and several dozen members of her National League for Democracy party won parliamentary seats. However, a clause in the army-dictated Constitution disqualifies her from becoming President and would have to be amended before she could run. Ms. Suu Kyi will be 70 when the next general election is held in 2015.
Asked on Thursday if she was optimistic the Constitution would be changed to allow her to become President, she replied: “I don’t believe in indulging in optimism. Changes have to come by endeavour. We are going to work for the Constitution to be amended.”