A Buddhist monk paints the entrance of his monastery in Yangon on Thursday. Myanmar said US President Barack Obama had congratulated Myanmar leader Thein Sein for holding "free and fair" elections, as the government and army chief promised a smooth transition of power, with Aung San Suu Kyi's party edging toward victory. Photo: AFP

US President Barack Obama called Myanmar leader Thein Sein to congratulate him on Thursday for staging historic general elections, in which Aung San Suu Kyi's party appeared headed for a landslide victory. 

Suu Kyi's opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) has won more than 80 percent of the seats declared so far in the lower house, a result that puts her on course to form a new government, and is well ahead in the upper house and regional assemblies.

If the full results confirm the trend, Suu Kyi's triumph will sweep out an old guard of former generals that has run Myanmar since Thein Sein ushered in sweeping democratic and economic reforms four years ago.

"US President Obama ... congratulated the president and the entire government on having been able to hold a historic free and fair general elections," said presidential spokesman and Information Minister Ye Htut on his Facebook page.

"He said America would continue cooperating with the Myanmar government."

Obama has visited Myanmar twice in the past three years, hoping to make its transition to democracy a foreign policy legacy of his presidency.

Thein Sein and the powerful army chief Min Aung Hlaing have already endorsed Suu Kyi's victory, congratulating her on Wednesday on winning the majority of the seats in the first free elections in 25 years.

The two reiterated their commitment to respect the results and agreed to Suu Kyi's request to hold reconciliation talks soon, although the parties are still to agree on the details.

In addition to holding an unelected 25 percent bloc of seats in parliament, the army's commander-in-chief nominates the heads of three powerful ministries - interior, defense and border security.

The interior ministry gives him control of the Southeast Asian nation's pervasive bureaucracy, which could pose a significant obstacle to the NLD's ability to execute policy.

It is unclear how Suu Kyi and the generals will work together.

Diplomatic shift

Analysts said the transition in Myanmar could increase instability and uncertainty in Sino-Myanmese relations, adding that China should consider changing its diplomatic approach to the country by adopting more people-to-people exchanges.

"The Chinese government may have to adapt to a new Sino-Myanmese model in the future as Myanmar will no longer be ruled by one party," Zhang Weiyu, a researcher of Myanmar and Southeast Asian studies at the Institute of Modern International Relations of Tsinghua University, told the Global Times.

As the NLD is poised to take over, Suu Kyi's Western background will very likely draw Myanmar toward the West. Given the geopolitical restrictions, Myanmar will largely maintain a balance between different powers, but the growing Western influence will further compress China's strategic space, Zhang said.

"On the other hand, a democratic Myanmar will give importance to 'hearing the people's voice' due to the electoral pressure, indicating that China should consider shifting its diplomatic approach toward the Myanmar people," Zhang noted.

Analysts also cited the NLD's lack of governing experience as another factor creating uncertainty.

"Suu Kyi is a much respected democracy figure but she may not have enough political experience to handle ethnic issues on the border or relations between Myanmar and its neighboring countries," Zhuang Guotu, head of the Center of Southeast Asian Studies at Xiamen University, told the Global Times.

Confidence in friendly ties

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday that China is confident that Myanmar will continue its friendly ties with China.

Wang told Myanmar Foreign Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin in Southwest China's Yunnan Province that China is gratified that the significant elections in Myanmar generally went smoothly.

As a friendly neighbor, China sincerely hopes to see a stable, harmonious, prosperous and united Myanmar, with various parties working together for the country's development and exploring a development path that suits its national conditions, said Wang.

Suu Kyi visited China in June and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

She is banned from the presidency because her children are foreign nationals.