Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) will not contest the first elections held in Myanmar for 20 years.
"The National League for democracy has decided not to register as a political party because the election laws are unjust," NLD spokesman Nyan Win told journalists. The decision was taken during a meeting of more than 100 senior party officials in Yangon.
Under a new election law adopted by the country's military rulers earlier this year, the NLD would have been forced to oust its leader, Noble Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi, because she is serving a prison sentence. Ms Suu Kyi has held under house arrest for the majority of the last 20 years.
The NLD won the 1990 elections in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, but the ruling military junta refused to relinquish power.
The new election law has also been internationally criticised. The elections are expected to take place in the last week of October or the first week of November.
Free Aung San Suu Kyi
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I have just come back from Myanmar to see for myself Well if you think the military is disconnected from the people, well you might be right but so is NLD. Sorry to bust your bubble but Aung San is purely a figurehead-her movement is finished, specially after not contesting tgus important election, actually you might consider a lack of support from the people-her stance on sanctions + NOT vising tourists have not endeared her to the people of Myanmar,Burma. The Western Press keep insisting she is a savior!! laughable-this joke has been around for TWENTY YEARS. She has not been able to achieve anything. The issue of a better life, hope for the good people of Myanmar is complex and a very much a Grey issue. Go there and find out the truth. If you want to help the people of Myanmar and have your voice heard about lifting sanctions, which only hurt the average person . Here is the real- US Game in respect to Sanctions, make the people suffer through them, so they can get angry, desperate enough to want regime change. Generals unaffected on the other hand, even if they want to improve the life of the average Myanmarise is restricted in doing so by Sanctions, therefore to retain power has to use more force to contain the state of affairs. The people of Myanmar are beautiful people but this game is not about democracy.One hopes this election is the first step to,not democracy but liberalization and a better life for the average person, they deserve it. Those lap dogs for the US- NLD are just that, paid to exist outside of Myanmar by the CIA. yes Myanmar is a rock and a hard place. Hard choices, on the one hand, nationalist hard line antique minded generals who belong in nursing homes and on the other hand a pack of CIA stooges,traitors wishing for color revolutions backed by there masters-USA. I wish the system to change and a better life, perhaps this is the first step on the long road to that goal-its a start.
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