It is political brinkmanship on the part of the NLD. Should they [NLD] succeed and people boycott the poll, it could fundamentally change the political landscape of Myanmar. But if they fail – if voters ignore the boycott and vote for other parties – then it could spell the end of the NLD as a political party.
—Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International's researcher on Burma

“Because we refuse to bow to these unjust election 'laws,' our party will be abolished by the regime soon. Still, the NLD will not disappear. We will be among the people, with the people. We will continue to fight for democracy, human rights and equality among all ethnic nationalities, by peaceful means.”
—Win Tin, a member of NLD Central Executive Committee

“The present Government promises that the elections will be 'free and fair'. Critical to its legitimacy will be the spirit of national reconciliation among the many ethnic groups in the country and the participation of the National League of Democracy and other opposition parties…Singapore supports the ASEAN position calling for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her participation in the coming elections.”
—George Yeo, Foreign Minister of Singapore

“Unless they release Suu Kyi and allow her and her party to participate in the elections, it’s a complete farce and therefore contrary to their road map to democracy,”
—Alberto Romulo, foreign minister of the Philippines.

“The rest of Asean is shocked by Burma’s election law, which rejected Asean’s call for inclusiveness in the election. Asean countries might not know what to say.”
— Debbie Stothard, the coordinator of the Alternative Asean Network

“It [Burma's election law] is contrary to the roadmap to democracy that they have pledged to Asean and to the world. It's their own pledge and promise.”
—Alberto Romulo, foreign secretary of the Philippines

“Burma has ignored the demands of the UN Security Council, the UN secretary-general, the US, EU and its neighbors by imposing restrictive and unfair terms for the elections.”
—British Prime Minister Gordon Brown

“We would like to know about the practical implications of the recently issued electoral law to determine whether its substance meets the Myanmar [Burma] government's commitment to hold a democratic, free and multi-party election. We hope Aung San Suu Kyi can participate in the election.”
—Marty Natalegawa, Foreign Minister of Indonesia

“Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is entirely against the NLD doing party registration under these unjust laws. But she said this is her personal view, not an order or instruction to the party. The party should make the decision in accord with the democratic values.”
—Nyan Win, a lawyer for Aung San Suu Kyi

“Myanmar is one of the poorest countries in the world; so an election to be held in this country is not an easy one, but we think it's a very important step in the process of a national reconciliation, in the process of a democracy in that country.”
—Li Baodong, Chinese ambassador to UN