The National League for Democracy

The National League for Democracy is a Burmese political party founded on 27 September 1988. It is led by Aung San Suu Kyi, who acts as General Secretary. In the 1990 parliamentary elections, the party won 392 out of 492 seats, but the ruling military junta (formerly known as SLORC, now known as the State Peace and Development Council or SPDC) did not let the party form a government. Soon after the election, the party was repressed, but a number of elected representatives escaped arrest and formed the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB) to carry out the struggle for democracy and freedom.

The NLD is distinct from the NLD-LA (National League for Democracy-Liberated Areas), which operates in the Thai-Burma border areas and abroad. However, the NLD-LA advocates the position of the NLD in calling for a tripartite dialogue between the SPDC, the NLD, and representatives of the ethnic minority groups of Burma.

In 2001, the government permitted NLD office branches to re-open throughout Myanmar. However, they were shut down or heavily restricted from 2004, as part of a government campaign to prohibit such activities. In 2006, many members resigned from NLD, citing harassment and pressure from the Tatmadaw (Armed Forces) and the Union Solidarity and Development Association.

Aung San Suu Kyi, NLD general secretary and 1991 Nobel Peace Laureate, remains under house arrest. The military has held her in detention for 12 of the last 18 years. She is the only Nobel Peace Laureate in detention in the world today.