The pro-junta party loses in a pre-election survey in Shan State and Rangoon Division.

Only two junta proxy parties will contest for constituencies in Naypidaw in the upcoming election as opposition parties say they cannot hope to win there because most of the voters work for the government.

Thein Sein, Burma's incumbent prime minister and head of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), recently sent a directive speech to ministries, universities and colleges,

Several ethnic political parties believe that they will win numerous seats in the new national and regional parliaments and are competing for every parliamentary seat in many ethnic constituencies.

The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), a Bangkok-based independent organization for monitoring elections in the Asia region, issued a statement on Tuesday calling for the Association of Southeast Asian Nation

Burma's National Unity Party, with a list of more than 800 candidates, has emerged as the challenger to the regime proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party in the November election.

Burmese military authorities order journalists and other civilians to run as candidates in the election.

In the lead up to Burma's first election in two decades, senior officials of the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) have stepped up campaigning in Pegu Division by making

The secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), Surin Pitsuwan, said on Thursday he hopes there will be freedom of speech and travel prior to the upcoming Burmese elections on Nov. 7.

Several pro-democracy political parties have said that time and financial constaints have prevented them from forming alliances with other parties; however they are seeking to reach