Aung San Suu Kyi cannot run for presidency, parliament says

(ANSA) - Yangon, June 25 - Myanmar's parliament on Thursday voted against a constitutional amendment that would allow veteran opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to stand in presidential elections later this year.
    The former military junta-drafted constitution bars those with a foreign spouse or children from the presidency.
    The 1991 Nobel Peace Laureate's late husband and two sons are British. Elections are expected later this year and Suu Kyi's opposition party National League for Democracy is in pole position following its sweeping victory in by-elections in 2012.
    On Thursday parliament also voted against a proposal to lower the majority of votes needed to change the constitution from the current 75% to 70%. Given that the constitution currently guarantees 25% of parliamentary seats to the army's nominees this effectively means that the military has the power to veto any constitutional change. A reform process has been underway in Myanmar since November when military rule was replaced by a new military-backed civilian government after the first elections in 20 years. Suu Kyi was subsequently released from house arrest after spending the best part of two decades in some form of confinement.