YANGON, Myanmar — The opposition party of the Nobel Peace laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said Monday that it was confident of a sweeping victory in the country's landmark nationwide elections, while the ruling military-backed party acknowledged its poor showing.
"Nationwide, we got over 70 percent," said U Win Htein, a senior member of Aung San Suu Kyi's party, cautioning that the results were not yet official. But, he added, "We can call this a landslide victory."
The first official results released Monday showed the opposition nearly sweeping seats in Yangon, the country's largest city. Even a torrential downpour could not bring down the spirits of a crowd of opposition supporters, who cheered and sang as they watched the results on a giant TV screen outside the party's headquarters here.
Across the country, a number of powerful members of the military establishment in Myanmar conceded defeat, including former senior military officers who were among the most prominent members of the ruling party.
"You should never underestimate the people's desire," said U Khin Maung Yi, a member of the opposition who defeated a powerful incumbent, U Htay Oo, the chairman of the ruling party, for his seat in the Irrawaddy Delta. "It is clear that people voted for us because they believe we can bring hope and change for them."
Thura Shwe Mann, the speaker of the lower house of parliament and a former general, also lost his seat.
"Nationwide, we won in some parts, and we lost in some parts," Htay Oo, the ruling party leader, was quoted as saying in the Burmese news media Monday. "But we had a greater share of losses."
If the results of Sunday's election are respected by the current government and the military, it will be the first time in more than five decades that voters in Myanmar were able to choose their leaders freely.
The election was primarily a contest between the military elites and the democracy movement that the former generals persecuted for more than two decades. Aung San Suu Kyi was under house arrest for 15 years while the military was in control, emerging as a national democracy hero. The election has unleashed a flurry of emotion among her supporters, many of whom were jailed during military rule. Voting was largely peaceful.
Although official results may not be complete for days, analysts said the election appeared so one-sided that it seemed that Aung San Suu Kyi's party could win a majority in parliament, which would allow it to choose a president and pass laws without any need for support by the military or its political wing, the Union Solidarity and Development Party.
Under the current, military-drawn constitution, a quarter of the seats in parliament are appointed by the military, so her party would have to win two-thirds of the contested seats to have a majority.
Aung San Suu Kyi was cautious in her comments to reporters Monday, but she seemed to hint at big gains in the election, saying voters had "already understood" the result.
"The loser must face the loss bravely and calmly, and the winner must be humble and very magnanimous," she said.
The picture was less clear in ethnic minority areas, which may be important in the selection of a new president early next year if Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy, falls short of a parliamentary majority. The party said it had filed complaints about irregularities from those areas, where results are expected in the coming days.
Party officials said their preliminary results showed that they had swept most seats in the delta, which is heavily populated and politically important.
Voters in the delta displayed a reflexive affection for Aung San Suu Kyi, who is the daughter of the country's independence hero.
"Of course we love Mother Suu," said Daw Kyi Kyi Htay, a 39-year-old rice farmer who lives in an impoverished rice farming village. "I can't give you a reason. I just love her."
There were signs that Aung San Suu Kyi's popularity had also carried over into ethnic areas, such as the upland states of Kachin and Chin, where local loyalties have often trumped national ones.
Cherry Zahau, a candidate from the Chin Progressive Party, an ethnic-based opposition party in Chin State, along the border with India, conceded defeat on Monday to a candidate from Aung San Suu Kyi's party.
"It is unbelievable," she said. "Chin voters don't even know who they voted for. They only know the Lady."
One of the victors in the election, U Than Nyunt, said Aung San Suu Kyi's star power was a major factor in his win over Shwe Mann. Aung San Suu Kyi was treasured as a symbol of defiance against the generals and the poverty that has plagued Myanmar even as its neighbors have become more wealthy.
"The people's message to us is that they want change and they don't want to live in these circumstances anymore," Than Nyunt said.
In a country fractured by ethnic divisions and riddled with corruption, drug trafficking and destitution, expectations for the next government are perhaps implausibly high. But this has not stopped outpourings of joy.
"I haven't been able to eat anything since yesterday because I'm so happy," said Daw Than Than Htay, a supporter of Aung San Suu Kyi's party. "This is going to change everything in our country."
Although jubilation was widespread, it was not ubiquitous. Hundreds of thousands of voters from the Rohingya Muslim minority were struck from voter rolls and not allowed to vote on Sunday. The plight of the Rohingya, who are not recognized as citizens, is one of the many thorny issues awaiting the next government.