Suu Kyi announces party will contest election

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, center, talks to journalists during a news conference at her residence, Saturday, July 11, 2015.

Myanmar's main opposition party led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has announced it will contest the general election on 8 November.

This move is expected to strongly challenge the ruling military-backed party.

Suu Kyi told a news briefing in the capital Naypyitaw on Saturday the decision was made by her National League for Democracy's Central Committee at a meeting earlier in the day.

Her party boycotted the 2010 polls because it considered election rules to be unfair.

It took part in by-elections in 2012 after changes were made, winning almost all seats it contested, which still represented a small bloc in Parliament.

A total of 498 seats for lower and upper houses, 644 region and state parliament seats and 29 national races seats will be up for grabs.

According to the election commission list, there are 83 registered parties.