Burma: Aung San Suu Kyi's party wins absolute majority in elections

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NDL) has taken an absolute majority in Burma's national elections, the country's election commission has said.

After years of brutal repression Burma's freedom movement has prevailed and the world has a new democracy.

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party has won 49 of the first 54 lower house seats so far.

That was something to celebrate in one of the country's biggest cities Yangon, as well as across the nation.

The day started very differently with people in the city strangely subdued as many heeded official advice and stayed at home.

ITV News senior international correspondent John Irvine reports:

Burma's opposition party says it won 56 of the 57 parliamentary seats from the country's biggest city Yangon.

The result suggests a massive victory in historic elections for the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

The party announced that it had won 44 of the 45 lower house seats and all 12 of the upper house seats in the country's largest city.

Huge cheers broke out among the crowd of red-shirted supporters outside the party headquarters as the results were announced.

Aung San Suu Kyi's party says it has won 44 of 45 lower house seats for Yangon - the largest city in Burma - in the country's historic election.

The people of Burma have begun to celebrate as the results in the country's freest elections for 25 years started to come in.

Initial votes show Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party is set for a landslide victory.

But even if she wins, she is constitutionally barred from becoming president.

This is because anyone whose spouse or sons are overseas citizens cannot lead the country. Suu Kyi's late husband and her two sons are British.

Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party has won all 12 of the first parliament seats declared, Burma's electoral commission has said.

Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party has won 80% of the votes counted in the central regions so far in the Burmese general election, according to a party spokesman.

Outside the central area, the National League for Democracy had so far won more than 65% of votes cast in the states of Mon and Kayin, NLD spokesman Win Htein said. .

The acting chairman of Burma's ruling party has conceded defeat in the country's elections - effectively handing victory to Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NDL).

Thousands of supporters of Burmese political icon have turned out in the streets after the country's freest election in 25 years.

Excited crowds gathered outside the headquarters of Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) as the first results of the ballot were read out.

A clear picture of the result is unlikely to be established until Tuesday morning, but the NLD is expected to win the largest share of the vote.

Laws passed previously block Ms Suu Kyi from becoming president, though she has indicated she will stand in a role "above president" should her party win a majority.

The US described the election as "far from perfect", with the military, which has held power since 2011, is guaranteed at least a quarter of the vote