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YANGON: Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party called Friday on the junta to postpone a constitutional referendum this weekend after the devastating cyclone that has left tens of thousands dead.
"With this situation, it is not the appropriate time to hold the referendum," National League for Democracy spokesman Nyan Win told AFP.
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The military has insisted the referendum will go ahead Saturday in most of the impoverished state except in areas worst hit by Cyclone Nargis, which has devastated the Irrawaddy delta and badly affected the main city Yangon.
It has been postponed in 47 towns and cities until May 24.
Myanmar's generals say approval of the constitution will pave the way for elections in 2010 under their own "roadmap" to democracy, but critics say it will only solidify their iron grip on power.
Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate who has been held in house arrest for most of the past 20 years, and her NLD have called on voters to reject the document, which they say will not bring democratic change after decades of military rule.
"We did not change, we are still asking the people to vote No at tomorrow's referendum," Nyan Win said Friday.
They and other pro-democracy groups have had little ability to campaign for a "No" vote as the generals have outlawed speeches and leaflets about the referendum.
It will be the first ballot since the May 27, 1990 election which the NLD won by a landslide, but the military never recognised the results. - AFP/ac
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