Amid the chaotic democratic movements in the Middle East, on the other side of the world a victory for democracy is igniting hope for a nation.

On 3 April, the first confirmed free and fair election took place in Burma. This is an exceptional accomplishment for the people of Burma, who live in a country that has seen almost a century of corruption, human rights violations, and authoritarian rule. Burma has been isolated from the outside world for decades.

These successful elections give many in Burma hope that sanctions from the West could soon be lifted, and Burma might be able to reintegrate itself into the world as a democratic country. With an overwhelming vote in favour of the National League for Democracy Party led by Aung San Suu Kyi in legislative elections, the Burmese people are illustrating how committed they are bringing democracy to the country for good.

Burma, also known as Myanmar, was colonised by Britain and was made part of British-ruled India. Under British rule, Burma was able to flourish and at one point was the leading exporter of rice in the world. After Burma gained independence in 1948, some form of the military ruled the country until 2010. The military junta ruling Burma kept the country very isolated from the world.

As a result, Burma’s economy is one of the least developed. Despite being rich in resources, Burma’s economy has undergone almost no growth in the past four decades. Living conditions for people in Burma are extremely difficult. People live on an average of less than €200 a year. Health care and public health conditions also rank as one of the worst in the world.

For over 40 years, there was very little positive change in the lives of those living under the military government. Little could be done to help the situation in Burma from the outside world, due to the heavy isolation imposed by the ruling military. Many Western nations, including the EU, have placed sanctions on Burma for their human rights violations and their anti-democratic regime.

The political situation slowly began to change in the beginning of the 1990s. In 1990, the National League for Democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi became the opposition to the military junta in a landslide parliamentary vote. This vote was not honoured however, and Aung San Suu Kyi spent the next decade in and out of prison and under house arrest. Protests ensued against the military regime. These protests were brutally put down by the military, resulting in thousands of deaths. Aung San Suu Kyi was finally released from house arrest in 2010.

Control of the country is still mainly consolidated in the hands of a few politicians and retired military officials. The President, Thein Sein, has made some reforms, but continues to do mainly as he pleases without much consultation of the people. He did however acknowledge the legislative elections and the overwhelming victory by the National League for Democracy. After the legislative elections this past week, Aung San Suu Kyi, known as “The Lady” to many Burmese people, is now headed to Parliament.

The vote has been cleared as free and fair by outside election monitors. Thousands of supporters now put their faith in the hands of Aung San Suu Kyi and the democratic movement. Aung San Suu Kyi stresses that she wants to begin a new era where the governing of Burma is in the hands of the people. For the Burmese, democracy symbolizes a better life yet most Burmese people have never experienced life under a government that had their best interests in mind. The Burmese are now relying heavily on the success of the democratic movement to turn their lives around for the better.

The road to this democratic milestone has been long, hard and particularly slow for the Burmese people. The significance of the free and fair elections in the country is enormous but unfortunately, there is still no real guarantee that democracy will be able to flourish in a nation totally structured to function under an iron fist. Though many believe very strongly in the principles of democracy, many others doubt that anything will really change. The Burmese people are ready to welcome change, but are not unrealistic about the chances of that happening anytime too soon. Still, the progress Burma has rapidly made in the past two years under the guidance of Burmese leaders like Aung San Suu Kyi is remarkable.

David Casa is a Nationalist MEP