YANGON, Myanmar, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Military leaders in Myanmar are said to be resigning in numbers in order to compete in general elections scheduled for November, local reports said.
The Irrawaddy Web site and the Democratic Voice of Burma Web site both report Friday that Gen. Than Shwe and his deputy Gen. Maung Aye were among key military leaders who resigned ahead of November elections, the first in years.
The military leadership in Myanmar described the upcoming elections as a key step toward transferring power from a military to a civilian authority.
Myanmar is under scrutiny for the continued detention of Nobel Peace Prize-winner Aung Suu Kyi. Her National League for Democracy won a huge victory in elections in 1990, but the military rulers never accepted the results.
Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for most of the past two decades and cannot take part in elections. UPI
