Burmese opposition leader Aung Sang Suu Kyi has confirmed that she will run for parliament in the country's highly anticipated April by-elections.

A spokesperson for Aung Sang Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party said Tuesday the Nobel Peace Prize winner will compete for a seat in Kawhmu Township, on the outskirts of her hometown of Rangoon.

Last week, the government approved the NLD to participate in the April 1 elections, marking its return to mainstream politics after two decades. But it had been unclear whether Aung Sang Suu Kyi herself would compete for a seat.

It will mark the first time the pro-democracy leader has run for political office. Her NLD party won a landslide victory in 1990, but the military government prevented it from assuming power. Aung Sang Suu Kyi spent the majority of the years since then under house arrest.

The NLD boycotted general elections in November 2010 because of restrictions that, among other things, would have prevented Aung Sang Suu Kyi from running. That vote installed a nominally civilian government that has made a series of reforms, including beginning a dialogue with opposition groups.

The upcoming elections are intended to fill 48 parliamentary seats vacated by those who have since become government ministers. But the number of seats available is not enough to threaten the resounding majority held by the ruling military-backed party.