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Yangon: The overwhelming election victory by Aung San Suu Kyi's party in 1990 has been nullified by the approval of a military-backed constitution and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party should prepare for a new vote in 2010, Myanmar's state-run newspaper said on Sunday.
Myanmar's ruling junta said the passing of its constitution in a May referendum - widely dismissed by critics as unfair - shows the public no longer cares about the electoral success by the detained Nobel laureate.
Suu Kyi's party won 392 out of 485 seats in the election, the first freely contested poll in nearly three decades. However, the ruling military refused to hand over power, insisting a new constitution was needed before this could be done.
Iron grip
The military drafted a much-maligned constitution that reinforces its iron grip on power. The constitution was approved in May by 92.48 per cent of the vote, but critics say it was marred by irregularities, including citizens being forced to vote yes.
Rather than fighting to get the 1990 results recognised, the Myanma Ahlin newspaper called for the NLD to spend its energy preparing for a new 2010 election.
"The NLD should prepare for the forthcoming elections instead of clinging onto the 1990 election results, which have already gone down the drain," the commentary said.
The constitution guarantees 25 per cent of parliamentary seats to the military and allows the president to hand over all power to the military in a state of emergency.
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