Burma has “no other way” but to embrace democracy, a key regime figure said Monday, following a series of dramatic reforms by the new government that have been hailed by the West.

“We are a former military country transforming into a democratic state, which is not easy,” Shwe Mann, a former general who is considered one of the most powerful men in the current regime, told AFP in an interview.

“It’s a genuine conviction. There is no other way than a democratic system,” Shwe Mann, the speaker of the lower house of Burma’s parliament, said in the capital Naypyidaw.

“It’s very difficult to say how long it will take to become a democratic system. We cannot say the timeframe exactly but we will quickly try our best to achieve our goals,” he added.

A nominally civilian government which took power last year has surprised even critics with a series of reformist moves, including dialogue with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, released from house arrest in late 2010.

In a move hailed by the West, Burma on Friday released about 300 political prisoners, including several prominent dissidents, a day after signing a ceasefire with a major armed ethnic minority group.

“We hope that these new developments will reinforce the process of democratisation and national reconciliation,” Suu Kyi said on Sunday after talks with visiting French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe.

But the acclaimed dissident said it was unclear whether the military was fully behind the changes.

“Certainly there is always a theoretical, and perhaps not so theoretical, danger of an army coup by those who do not approve of the process of democratisation,” she said. “We hope very much that we will not come to that.”

Shwe Mann, however, dismissed the idea of the military seizing power back.

“I don’t think it will happen in the future. We really understand the situation of the people and the country.”

The army “also has a strong desire for the interests of the people and the country,” he added.

Friday’s prisoner pardon was welcomed by Western powers, which have long demanded the release of political detainees languishing in jail before they will consider lifting sanctions on the regime and its cronies.

The amnesty release was the most significant yet by the new government, whose ranks are filled with former generals including President Thein Sein.

It is not clear how many more political prisoners are still behind bars but some activists estimate about 1,000 remain locked up.

Even critics, however, have been surprised by the pace of change in the country.

The regime froze work on an unpopular dam supported by powerful neighbour China last year, and on Thursday signed a ceasefire with a major armed ethnic Karen group involved in one of the world’s longest-running civil conflicts.

The country recently announced plans to hold by-elections on 1 April and Suu Kyi plans to stand for a seat in parliament in a constituency near the main city Rangoon.

“I guarantee the elections will be free and fair,” Shwe Mann said. “If she [Suu Kyi] wins in the April by-election, we’ll have to a chance to discuss and talk. I’ll be waiting for her.”

The number of seats available in the polls is not enough to threaten the resounding majority held by the ruling party, but the participation of Suu Kyi’s opposition party could boost parliament’s credibility.

Suu Kyi on Sunday hinted that she could take a position in the new government but said it “depends on the circumstances”.

Her party boycotted a November 2010 election that was marred by complaints of cheating and was won by the military’s political allies.