Big birthday party for 'The Lady'

Suu Kyi, turning 70 on Friday, could not celebrate her birthday on the day as she had to attend a meeting session in Nay Pyi Taw.  

Soe Nyunt, the owner of the restaurant and a close ally to the National League for Democracy, said that 50 diplomats and representatives from international organisations were invited, aside from 120 members of the party’s central committee and 30 from the auxiliary central committee. 

After decades-long freedom fight, one of the greatest challenges is waiting for her. While her party is expected to triumph at key elections this year, Suu Kyi's pathway to the presidency is blocked by a controversial clause in Myanmar's junta-era constitution.

With polls slated for November, time is running out to change the contested clause before the vote and Suu Kyi's advancing age adds urgency to her quest of leading a democratic Myanmar.

Analyst Mael Reynaud said she was likely to defer an attempt to take the top job, but added much would depend on her acceptance by the country's old elites, in the form of the army and current ruling party, which remains dominated by former generals.

"The fact that she's getting older is indeed one further reason why she would want to get the constitution changed before the 2020 elections so she could become the president then," he told AFP.

Locked away for years by a former junta fearful of her huge popular support, Suu Kyi's decision to compromise with former military figures has seen her take a seat in parliament and opened the way for her hermetic homeland to step onto the global stage.

While still wildly popular, the rough and tumble of political life has muddied Suu Kyi's once flawless image.

She has faced censure for a reluctance to speak out on behalf of the country's maligned Muslim population.

In an interview with The Washington Post published online late Tuesday, Suu Kyi made a rare comment on the issue. Asked whether those boatpeople fleeing the country should be given citizenship, she said "The protection of rights of minorities is an issue which should be addressed very, very carefully and as quickly and effectively as possible, and I'm not sure the government is doing enough about it.”

"It is such a sensitive issue, and there are so many racial and religious groups, that whatever we do to one group may have an impact on other groups as well," she stressed.

"So this is an extremely complex situation, and not something that can be resolved overnight."

Suu Kyi has also been criticised for failing to nurture a political successor within the NLD, meaning the party has no alternative presidential candidate to propose, regardless of how well it does in the polls.

A president will be selected by parliament after the elections.

Without an heir, the veteran activist could opt to throw her support behind a reformist member of the former military regime as a compromise presidential candidate.

International Crisis Group has said that possibility is a major source of uncertainty in the country's political transition.