Myanmar opposition, 88-Generation student group to work together

Myanmar opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) and 88-Generation Peace and Open Society Group agreed on Wednesday to work on elections, constitution amendment and domestic peace process.

According to its joint declaration issued here to the media, the two groups will work for the emergence of free and fair general elections slated for late October or early November, amendment of the 2008 constitution through efforts of political forces from within and outside the parliament in addition to the parliamentary channel, Xinhua news agency reported.

The joint declaration also called for undertaking the peace process together with ethnic groups based on political objective of building a democratic federal union.

"We will not set up a political party to vie with NLD for the upcoming general elections but will coordinate with NLD in carrying out political activities," said Min Ko Naing, leader of the 88-Generation Peace and Open Society Group, transformed from a former students group.

Myanmar last held its general elections on November 7, 2010, when the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) won the majority with its chairman U Thein Sein elected as the country's president after five decades of military rule.

On April 1, 2012, the first by-elections were held in which the opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), won 43 out of 45 then open parliamentary seats with its chairperson Aung San Suu Kyi occupying a seat in the House of Representatives the lower house of Myanmar's parliament.

Last year, the NLD and the 88-Generation Peace and Open Society submitted a petition to the parliament for amending Article 436 of the constitution, collecting a total of five million signatures.

The NLD, established in September 1988 after the previous military takeover, regained legal party registration on January 5, 2012, following Aung San Suu Kyi's final release from house arrest on November 13, 2010, six days after the 2010 general elections.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who became a parliamentarian after the by-elections in April 2012, also holds the post of chairperson of the Committee for Rule of Law and Tranquillity of the lower house.