Aung San Suu Kyi's party has taken an unprecedented public mandate into parliament. But popularity and power are only the beginning for the Nobel laureate and her hundreds of new MPs, many of whom have no experience of public office. Here are a few of their main challenges:

PICKING A PRESIDENT

Suu Kyi's party can form a government, but who will lead it? The Nobel laureate is barred from the presidency by a clause in the junta-drafted constitution because her children are British.

Many believe it was scripted specifically to block her path to power. She has said she will rule "above" a puppet president, who will replace outgoing President Thein Sein in late March.

If she does, that position is not covered in the constitution and could rile the powerful military who have ceded some powers but retain 25 percent of seats in parliament - and with them an effective veto on major charter change.

MILITARY STILL IN PLAY

Given the presidency issue, Suu Kyi may need to sweeten up an army which held her prisoner for some 15 years. Observers say good relations between Suu Kyi and the military will be crucial to get anything done.

That is because the military's political powers are not limited to parliament. The 2008 constitution that was scripted under ex-dictator Than Shwe hands the army chief control over three key ministries: home affairs, defence and border affairs.

UNCERTAIN PEACE

Myanmar's ethnic minorities have fought for greater autonomy for more than 50 years. Thein Sein signed ceasefires with several of the country's major ethnic armed groups, but heavy fighting continues, particularly in Kachin and Shan states.

As a member of the ethnic majority Bamar, Suu Kyi has sometimes been viewed with suspicion by these groups. But the NLD won handsomely in ethnic states and Suu Kyi has pledged to work towards a federal system.

She also must tackle the scourge of anti-Muslim sentiment that has fomented since an explosion of unrest in Rakhine state in 2012 between Buddhists and minority Rohingya communities.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Myanmar's economy has surged under reforms by Thein Sein's government. Foreign investment swept in as most Western sanctions were lifted. Mobile phones are now ubiquitous, car imports are rising fast and several special economic zones are in the pipeline.

The economy grew at 8.5 percent in the 2014/15 fiscal year, but the World Bank expects this to moderate to 6.5 percent this year. But poverty is still a problem for huge swathes of a country that relies on agriculture.