Blow to Suu Kyi’s presidential hopes

Myanmar’s National League for Democracy chairperson Aung San Suu Kyi won’t be able to run for president in the upcoming election as the country’s parliament on Thursday failed to remove the army’s veto over constitutional change, media reported.

Myanmar’s parliament voted on six amendment bills on Thursday, five of which were turned down as the number of voters stood less than 75 percent, the percentage required to pass a bill, Xinhua reported.

One of the proposed changes was for the bar for parliamentary approval for <g data-gr-id="16">constitutional</g> change to be lowered to 70 percent, according to BBC. 

The only bill which got through deals with the qualification of a presidential candidate. It proposes that the candidate should be well acquainted with the affairs of defence instead of military.

Suu Kyi is barred from running for president because her two sons hold <g data-gr-id="14">British</g> not Burmese passports.