There was a fair chance that the previously restricted
NLD could achieve majority status in the Hluttaw and, for legislative purposes,
form government. As noted at the outset, under the 2008 constitution, Myanmar
citizens with a family member living overseas are not eligible to hold executive
office (2008 Constituion, section 59 f). With her two sons residents of the United
Kingdom, this means that Suu Kyi could not run for the presidency, even if she
was to gather sufficient support. However, vice-presidential nominee, former
military hard-liner and Yangon chief minister Myint Swe, was disbarred from the
post in 2012 as he has a son who is anAustralian citizen. There may then be scope
for constitutional change around this particular question. Assuming that 75% of
the Hluttaw approved the constitutional change, which may or may not happen
before the 2015 elections, it was also possible that Suu Kyi could become Myanmar’s
president. But this raises two further issues.