Myanmar’s opposition party, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, a symbol of democracy and human rights, is reportedly on track for a landslide victory in the general election held over the weekend.

Vote counting is still underway, but early results suggest Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, is certain to win a sweeping victory, ending five decades of military dictatorship.

To have a winning majority in Myanmar’s 664-seat parliament, the opposition party needs more than two-thirds of the 498 seats contested in the elections, as a quarter of the seats are set aside for the army under the current constitution.

In an interview with the BBC, the democracy icon said her party would probably get around 75 percent of the contested seats, more than enough to form a government on its own.

So the NLD is set to control the parliament, unless the military-backed government and the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party attempt to manipulate the vote count.

But will the military allow Suu Kyi to govern? In the 1990 general election, the NLD won 81 percent of the parliamentary seats. But the military did not acknowledge the election results and put her under house arrest.

But she said this time would be different. Expressing optimism, she said, “The times are different and the people are different.” She added that “the people are far more politicized than before.”

Even if the military does accept the people’s decision this time, Suu Kyi is still constitutionally barred from becoming president because she married a foreign citizen and has two British sons.

But she said she would nevertheless lead the country. She has repeatedly said she would make all the decisions as the leader of the winning party, while entrusting the presidency to a colleague.

Now, it is time for the military leaders to speed up the vote count and concede defeat. They should ensure a peaceful handover of government.

If the NLD government is launched, Suu Kyi will seek to accelerate her country’s transition to democracy. But she is expected to face enormous challenges.

For one thing, despite the ruling party’s defeat, the military will still retain several powerful cabinet posts, including the heads of the defense, interior and border and police ministries. Furthermore, the constitution allows the military to take direct control of the government if it deems so necessary.

This means Suu Kyi needs strong internal and external support to steer her country along the path of democracy. The world should spare no efforts in providing support to her.