WASHINGTON (AP) — The chief of Myanmar’s pro-military party said Thursday he is not ruling out a coalition government with the opposition party of Aung San Suu Kyi after crucial elections in 2015 if it’s in the national interest.

In the past two weeks, both lower house speaker Shwe Mann and Nobel laureate Suu Kyi have said they want to run for president. The election will be crucial in setting Myanmar’s political direction as it shifts from decades of authoritarian rule.

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