Myanmar opposition party meeting favors re-registration as legal party

Myanmar's opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), in its special meeting of senior leaders representing respective regions and state held at the party headquarters here Friday, favored overwhelmingly to get the party re-registered as a legal political party. Addressing the meeting, Aung San Suu Kyi, General Secretary of the NLD, agreed to the re-registration of the party as far as she is concerned, saying that the party will enter the coming by- election and will compete in all vacant parliamentary seats. The final decision is expected to be adopted by the Central Executive Committee Meeting of the party which follows shortly. The NLD, along with four other old parties, was disbanded by the Union Election Commission for refusal to renew its registration before last year's Nov. 7 multi-party general election according to then party registration law. The present meeting came in response after some amendments of the party registration law recently passed the union parliament and were signed by President U Thein Sein. The amended party registration law, enacted by the union parliament on Nov. 4, deleted a clause preventing convict from being a party member, implying that freed political prisoner has the rights to join political party. Another amendment states that any party, that registers after the general election, must run candidates in at least three constituencies in by-elections to remain legally registered.