"The general elections in Myanmar planned for late 2015 could mark a major step forward in the political reform process that began in 2011. Despite a high level of mistrust in government, the general public appears to have an overall positive view of elections and overwhelmingly intends to vote.1 Significantly, the government has made a public commitment to inviting international and national election observation organizations to monitor the election process, a notable difference from the 2010 and 2012 elections. The Carter Center, at the invitation of the Union Election Commission (UEC), is conducting an assessment of the pre-election environment in preparation for the deployment of a larger election observation mission. This is the Carter Center?s first statement since deploying staff to the states and regions in December 2014. In this preliminary assessment, The Carter Center finds that there are efforts underway to make the electoral process more transparent and less vulnerable to manipulation. However, a number of key challenges need to be addressed in order to ensure that the elections earn the confidence of voters, political parties, and civil society organizations. The main findings include:..."