Obstacles to Foreign Investment in Myanmar

Myanmar held parliamentary by-elections April 1, during which the country's opposition party, led by democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi, won at least 40 of 45 seats. The elections come one year after the March 2011 establishment of a nominally civilian government following decades of military rule.

Though only 10 percent of the seats in the lower house of parliament were contested, the elections have been viewed both within Myanmar and internationally as a sign of progress in the country's ongoing political opening. Next on Naypyidaw's agenda will be economic reforms aimed at increasing foreign direct investment, which will not be easy, given the country's weak and politicized judicial system.