Myanmar junta to allow Aung San Suu Kyi to vote

• Myanmar's junta on Friday allowed democracy—icon Aung San Suu Kyi to vote in the upcoming general election on November 7, although it has barred her and her party from running.
• Ms. Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party, which won the 1990 general election by a landslide, have called on their supporters to boycott this year's polls after being effectively blocked from contesting them.
• Only the military—supported parties, such as the USDP and NUP, have been able to field enough candidates to win a majority in the upcoming polls for the lower, upper and regional houses of parliament.
• Parties have complained the registration fee of 500 dollars per candidate is too high.
• A new constitution ensures that even if a pro—democracy party wins the November 7 polls, the military will be able to block legislation through the Senate, a quarter of which is appointed by the junta.