According to the Political Parties Registration Law, which was published in the state newspapers, no-one who has been convicted by a court of law is allowed to join a political party. Suu Kyi has spent 14 of the past 20 years in detention.

She was convicted last August of violating the terms of her house arrest, a move that critics at the time said was aimed at keeping her away from the election campaign. Her new term of house arrest is due to end this November.

NLD might have to expel Suu Kyi

Nyan Win, a spokesperson for Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party (NLD) expressed surprise over the law, saying he did not expect it to be "so bad". He suggested that the new law might force the party to expel Suu Kyi. He told AFP that the party needed to make a "clear" response to the law but had not yet decided how.

The US expressed concerns over the new laws. Speaking in Malaysia, US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell urged Myanmar to release Suu Kyi and "to encourage domestic dialog in anticipation and advance of the elections".

Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate, is already prevented from running for office under the new constitution, which bars anyone married to foreigners from standing for election. Suu Kyi was married to the British academic Michael Aris, who died in 1999.

NLD deliberates whether to participate in polls

The National League for Democracy won the last elections in 1990, but the junta never recognized the results.

So far, the NLD has not decided whether to take part in the polls. Political parties have 60 days to register for the vote.

The junta has not set a firm date for the polls yet, but has insisted it will hold elections this year. Observers think they will probably take place between October and November.

du/AP/AFP/dpa/Reuters
Editor: Anne Thomas