The parties are fielding a total of 160 candidates alongside eight independents running for 45 seats vacated by lawmakers appointed to government positions, according to the election commission.
The legislature is made up of two houses: The 224-seat upper house Amyotha Hluttaw (House of Nationalities) and the 440-seat lower house Pyithu Hluttaw (House of Representatives).
The upper house consists of 224 members, of which 168 are directly elected and 56 are appointed by the Burmese Armed Force.
The lower house consists of 440 members, of which 330 are directly elected and 110 are appointed by the military.
These are some of the main parties standing in the vote:
NATIONAL LEAGUE FOR DEMOCRACY
Suu Kyi's party was founded in 1988 after a popular uprising against the military junta that left thousands dead.
Two years later the party won elections in a landslide but the results were never recognised by the regime. Suu Kyi was under house arrest at the time and spent much of the following two decades in detention.
The NLD boycotted a 2010 election that swept the army's allies to power, saying the rules were unfair, and was stripped of its status as a legal political party. Suu Kyi was released days after the vote.
After a thaw in relations with the regime, the party was permitted to re-register to take part in Sunday's by-elections, when it will contest 44 of the seats.
Observers believe the regime wants Suu Kyi to win a seat in the polls to give its reformist programme legitimacy and spur the West into easing sanctions.
UNION SOLIDARITY AND DEVELOPMENT PARTY
The military-backed USDP -- which won about 80 percent of the seats available in 2010 -- is contesting all 45 seats on offer this weekend but will keep its majority whatever the outcome.
It was formed by then prime minister Thein Sein and other ministers who retired from their military posts ahead of the last polls. Thein Sein took office as president of the new nominally civilian government in March 2011.
The party inherited considerable financial resources and millions of members from the Union Solidarity and Development Association, a powerful pro-junta organisation that was merged into the USDP.
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FORCE
Formed by a group of breakaway NLD members, the NDF's decision to stand in the 2010 elections put it at odds with Suu Kyi, who was opposed to participating because she felt the rules were unfair.
It won a handful of seats in parliament and is fielding 11 by-election candidates.
SHAN NATIONALITIES DEMOCRATIC PARTY
The party is counting on the support of the Shan, the second-largest ethnic group in Burma, in the three constituencies it is contesting.
Widely known as the White Tiger Party, it is headed by prominent ethnic Shan leader Sai Aik Paung.
It came second behind the NLD in the 1990 election and is the second-largest party in the lower house of parliament thanks to a strong showing in 2010.
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