Myanmar to hold general election on November 8

Myanmar officials have announced November 8 as the date for a historic general election set to be the first contested by Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition in a quarter of a century. The announcement fires the starting gun for the much-anticipated poll in the former junta-run nation, which has launched a series of reforms since the end of outright military rule in 2011. “The general election will be held on November 8. The Union Election Commission will announce further details later,” Thant Zin Aung, deputy director of Yangon’s election commission is reported to have said.A president will be chosen later by parliament, but Suu Kyi is barred by the constitution from taking the top job. The Nobel laureate’s National League for Democracy did not immediately confirm it would participate in the polls.