Aung San Suu Kyi takes oath of office

London, May 2 (ANI): Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has taken oath of office to become a member of the country's parliament.

The swearing-in ceremony in the capital Naypyitaw marks the first time the 66-year-old leader has held public office since launching her struggle against authoritarian rule nearly a quarter of a century ago.

Suu Kyi's entry into the legislature heralds a historic new political era for Burma, cementing a risky detente between her party and the reformist government of President Thein Sein, The Daily Express reports.

Her National League for Democracy party will occupy too few seats to have any real power in the ruling-party dominated assembly.

Suu Kyi has spent much of the past two decades in prison, but was freed in 2010 and her election to parliament has been hailed by the international community as a step towards democracy in Myanmar.

The National League for Democracy, which boycotted a controversial 2010 election, agreed to rejoin the political mainstream last year after authorities changed a similar phrase in party registration laws. (ANI)