With jokes and hugs, karaoke and congratulations across Myanmar's often bitter divides, lawmakers yesterday marked the last day of Parliament, as the country eagerly awaits a new Parliament led by the National League for Democracy (NLD).
It was a historic day for Myanmar, which emerged from decades of stifling military rule only five years ago in a calibrated transition that retains wide powers for the military and is beset by scepticism.
Monday's convening of the new Parliament will be even more significant, pulling off a key ingredient of a democracy - peaceful transfer of power following a general election.
The mood among the outgoing lawmakers was jovial and sentimental in the chambers of the Hluttaw - the Houses of Parliament in the sprawling, opulent government quarters of Naypyitaw, the capital built under the now-retired dictator, Senior General Than Shwe. (Courtesy of The Star Online)
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