Most of the leading figures in the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society (88GPOS) group do not intend running for parliament in the upcoming general election, but will instead be assisting Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) with its campaign.

“We are going to help the National League for Democracy achieve a victory, as we have previously declared in a joint-statement,” said Ko Jimmy, a senior 88GPOS member.

“We have been working closely with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for many years. Our main objective is for her party to win the elections.”

Led by Min Ko Naing and other prominent student activists from the 1988 uprising who spent many years behind bars for their part in the protests, the group also declined to compete in previous elections.

Senior 88GPOS leader Mya Aye said neither he nor Min Ko Naing would compete in this year’s polls, though he pointed out that fellow activist Ko Ko Gyi was planning to run.

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“The only certainty [from our group] to contest the election is Ko Ko Gyi. I will not, neither will Ko Min Ko Naing,” he said, adding that a few non-senior members of the 88GPOS may run for the 8 November election.

Ko Ko Gyi confirmed to DVB on Monday that he would run in the election, but did not elaborate on whether he would represent the NLD. He said that both the 88GPOS and NLD were working together with the same political goals, including the establishment of a federal union in Burma.

The NLD announced on Saturday that it would compete in this year’s general election, and was looking to make agreements with ethnic parties in order to contest the more than 1,200 constituencies across the country without clashing with its allies.

The Union Election Commission has announced a deadline of 8 August for political parties to submit candidate lists.