World

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi kicks off election campaign with Facebook post calling for change

Associated Press
Published | Updated

In this Sept. 6, 2015, file photo, Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi speaks during her "Election Awareness Tour" in Ho-Pong township, southern Shan State, Myanmar. The political prisoner-turned-parliamentarian, Suu Kyi, 70-year-old daughter of independence hero Aung San, believes it is her destiny to deliver democracy to Myanmar. But the constitution blocks anyone with a foreign spouse or children from becoming president _ a rule many believe was written with Suu Kyi in mind. (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win, File) (The Associated Press)

A supporter cleans a portrait of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi at her National League for Democracy party headquarters in Yangon, Myanmar, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015. On Tuesday, the opposition leader kicked off campaigning for Myanmar's historic Nov. 8 general election with a Facebook post — one of many signs of how far the country and its most recognizable politician have come in a few years. (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win) (The Associated Press)

Supporters of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League of Democracy party gather to start campaigning for upcoming parliamentary elections in Yangon, Myanmar, Tuesday, Sep 8, 2015. On Tuesday, the opposition leader kicked off campaigning for Myanmar's historic Nov. 8 general election with a Facebook post - one of many signs of how far the country and its most recognizable politician have come in a few years. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe) (The Associated Press)

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has kicked off campaigning for Myanmar's historic general election with a Facebook post that calls the upcoming polls "a crucial turning point for our country."

Campaigning opened Tuesday for the Nov. 8 general election, in which more than 90 political parties are contesting for seats in both houses of parliament.

In a video message on her opposition party's Facebook page, Suu Kyi called the polls "a real chance of bringing about real change."

The elections are being closely watched as the next step toward democracy in a country that was run by a repressive military junta for nearly half a century.

The polls will be the first since a nominally civilian government was installed in 2011.