Myanmar's opposition party boycotts elections

Aung San Suu Kyi's Myanmar opposition party has boycotted the first elections to be held in the military-ruled country in two decades.

An NLD party supported displaying an image of the imprisoned party leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.

Aung San Suu Kyi's Myanmar opposition party decided today to boycott the first elections to be held in the military-ruled country in two decades, a spokesman said. "The National League for Democracy (NLD) has decided not to register the party," said spokesman Nyan Win after a meeting of more than 100 senior party members at NLD headquarters in Yangon. Under a new election law that has been internationally criticised, if the party had decided to sign up for the vote it would have been forced to oust its leader Ms Suu Kyi because she is serving a prison term.

The elections are expected to be held in the last week of October or early November, according to a senior regime official. * AFP