Suu Kyi's Party To Register For Myanmar Elections

November 18, 2011
The party of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has announced its decision to rejoin politics and register for upcoming parliamentary by-elections in Myanmar.
 
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won parliamentary elections in 1990, but the ruling military junta refused to recognize the result.
 
It has remained at the heart of the country's pro-democracy opposition ever since.
 
The military regime kept Suu Kyi under house arrest during several periods for a total of 15 years, before her release late last year.
 
Reforms by the country's leadership have continued to surprise observers inside the country and abroad.
 
A recent announcement of more prison releases and plans for a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton highlight the pace of change in Myanmar, also known as Burma.
 
U.S. President Barack Obama cited "flickers of progress" in Myanmar in the last several weeks after years of darkness in announcing the Clinton visit, reportedly slated for early December.
 
compiled from agency reports