Myanmar's Ruling Party Admits Election Defeat

Aung San Suu Kyi warned supporters not to provoke the losers

The chairman of Myanmar's ruling party has conceded defeat in the country's first free general election in 25 years.

The leader of the Union Solidarity and Development Party, Htay Oo, told Reuters: "We do accept the results without any reservations."

His comments, along with initial reports from counting stations around the country, would appear to support opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's comments earlier in which she hinted at a victory for her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD).

An NLD spokesman said the party had secured more than 80% of the votes counted so far in densely populated central regions.

However, voting is still under way and no results have been announced by officials.

In a speech at the NLD headquarters, Ms Suu Kyi said: "It is still a bit early to congratulate our candidates who will be the winners."

She added: "I want to remind you all that even candidates who didn't win have to accept the winners but it is important not to provoke the candidates who didn't win to make them feel bad."

Sky News