Updated

A parliamentary committee has voted against changing a clause in Myanmar's Constitution that bars opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from becoming president, in a setback to her hopes of leading the Southeast Asian nation.

The clause bars anyone whose spouse or children are loyal to foreign countries from becoming president or vice president. Suu Kyi's late husband and her two sons are British citizens.

Twenty-six of the 31 members of the committee tasked with recommending changes voted against amending the clause.

A final decision is subject to a vote of the full parliament. But a change appears unlikely, since the committee members who rejected the amendment are lawmakers from the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party and the military, which hold an overwhelming majority of the legislative seats.