Myanmar lifts rally ban after Suu Kyi's party complains YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's election authorities Monday said a ministerial order restricting some campaign rallies had been lifted, just hours after Aung San Suu Kyi's party complained its campaigning for upcoming parliamentary by-elections was being stifled. The Union Election Commission (UEC) contacted Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), which boycotted the 2010 election, to tell the party that a ban on the use of sports grounds, which prevented a February 14 rally from taking place, was no longer in effect. The UEC has now allowed us to use the facilities earlier banned by sports ministry. We do welcome this news," Han Tha Myint, an NLD central executive committee member, told Reuters. It was not immediately clear what took place leading to the announcement and whether the ministry had rescinded the order, or if the UEC had overturned it. Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi, 66, is standing as a candidate in what is seen as a partial endorsement of the fledgling democratic system now in place in Myanmar after decades of authoritarian military rule. For that reason, the government is keen to have Suu Kyi on board and the lifting of the ban, which was unthinkable under previous army governments, is another sign of openness by new civilian rulers. NLD campaign manager Nyan Win had earlier told a news conference that the ban threatened the validity of the by-elections and make them "difficult to be free and fair." Sports Minister Tint Hsan was accused by the NLD of blocking the party from holding a rally at a sports ground in the town of Hlegu, north of Yangon, on February 14. The election commission overruled Tint Hsan's order, but the ministry issued the ban a day later on February 15. Nyan Win had earlier accused the country's biggest party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) of making promises of infrastructure and electricity upgrades that were tantamount to vote-buying. He had expressed dismay at a decision by authorities in volatile Kachin State, where conflict is raging between ethnic Kachin rebels and government troops, to reject its request to hold a rally there on security grounds. Nyan Win added. Suu Kyi is almost certain to win in her constituency, but it is unclear how the NLD will fare elsewhere. The NLD must compete with the USDP, which enjoys big spending power, a parliamentary majority and close connections with the former junta, remnants of which dominate the civilian government.