Myanmar's Suu Kyi takes oath of office May 2, 2012 -- Updated 0422 GMT (1222 HKT) Suu Kyi and 42 other members of her party won seats at by-elections They had delayed their parliamentary debuts over the wording of the oath of office The oath of office is a key moment in Myanmar's recent reforms (CNN) -- Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sworn in Wednesday as a lawmaker for the first time, a key symbolic step in the country's recent shift toward democracy after decades of repressive military rule. Suu Kyi, a pro-democracy campaigner who spent years under house arrest, traveled to the parliament in the capital, Naypyidaw, to take up the seat she won in elections last month. She and other newly elected members of her party, the National League for Democracy, took an oath of office that they had initially refused to accept because of its wording, which called for protection of the country's constitution. The NLD considers the constitution undemocratic and has said it wants to change it. The party had asked the Myanmar authorities to adjust the wording of the oath to say that lawmakers would "abide by" the constitution rather than "protect" it. Suu Kyi and the 42 other recently elected NLD members delayed their parliamentary debuts over the issue, but the government of President Thein Sein, a former military official, made no sign of moving to accommodate the request. On Monday, Suu Kyi and the NLD backed down from the demand to have the wording changed, ending the impasse. Suu Kyi said she would take the oath "for the country and for the people." She added that her decision had been encouraged by voters, parliament members and representatives of Myanmar's ethnic minority groups. Her presence in parliament Wednesday illustrates the pace at which Myanmar is changing: She was released from house arrest less than a year and a half ago. Control of parliament will not change, but the entry of the NLD members nonetheless gives the party a notable presence.