When he welcomes visitors to the presidential palace, President Thein Sein exudes the determination of a leader just starting – rather than ending – his five-year term. In a wide-ranging interview, he outlined priorities for further economic, social and political reforms that would easily take eight years to implement – rather than the eight months he has remaining in office. In looking ahead to November’s election, he said, “More important than whether I am president or become next president is my aim to hold the elections in a free and fair manner – and to see peace and stability in the post-elections period…That is more important than running for president. And that is what is foremost in my mind."

Myanmar President Thein Sein and leaders of ethnic armed groups will try to iron out final details of a long-awaited ceasefire next week, officials said on August 17. The president is hoping to seal a deal before his term ends. New elections are scheduled for November. He said he wants the next government to be able to start with the political dialogue necessary to end decades of civil war.

Just back from Myanmar’s flood-hit Sagaing Region, seen in the Floodlist image above, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for the country, Renata Dessallien, described on August 12 the devastation she witnessed, saying she had been “humbled by the incredible, spontaneous public outpouring of solidarity and assistance to flood-affected communities.” In her remarks, Ms. Dessallien underscored that the people of Myanmar are among the most generous in the world. The masses of volunteers, staff of local organizations, authorities, private sector, NGOs, celebrities and ordinary people, in their caring and generosity, dedication and courage “are showing the true spirit of Myanmar.”

A total of 6,189 candidates from 92 political parties have registered with the election commission to contest the upcoming general elections scheduled for November 8, the poll panel said on August 17. Of the 6,189 candidates, 1,772 are for the House of Representatives (lower house), 913 for the House of Nationalities (upper house), 3,341 for region or state parliament and 163 for Region or State Parliament of National Races.

In Myanmar, the tentative steps towards democracy since 2010 have brought with them some of the tools that dominate most Western democracies, including public opinion polls. When we were in Myanmar, we found that members of the ruling party grasped the importance of discovering what the public wanted—after all, they were pragmatic and concerned, as parties everywhere are, about winning elections. Civil society activists were harder to convince, as they had never been exposed to this type of data before, and found it hard to believe that the public might not agree with them on every specific question. If polling data is used correctly, it can provide helpful information to civic activists on where they should engage the public about their rights.

Political scientist Francis Fukuyama, a Senior Fellow of Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, spoke recently with Irrawaddy about the November 8 elections. “It’s not that hard to hold a free and fair election if you have enough outside observers,” he said, while the military’s role in parliament is “something that will change over time.” As for the United States, “I think what’s important from the US perspective is to stay engaged…. The really difficult part comes the day after the election. That’s where I think the United States can still give a lot of assistance and support, helping to formulate policies and learning to deal with the actual implementation of policies.”

Myanmar's health minister on August 12 scrapped plans to fill more of the 300 vacancies at his ministry with military personnel, after thousands of people joined a rare online protest against eight initial appointments. The Black Ribbon Movement, launched earlier this month by medical workers and doctors following the appointments, called on the government to end the "militarization" of the ministry. "We had planned to appoint more people from the Ministry of Defense, but we won't go ahead with the plan since it's against the wishes of most people from the medical field," Health Minister Than Aung said.

A growing number of women are taking up Lethwei, Myanmar’s homespun martial art that grants victory by knock-out only. Lethwei fighters say their sport is the toughest member of Southeast Asia's kickboxing family, leaving Thailand's more famous Muay Thai in the blood-flecked dust thanks to its disdain for gloves and use of skull-cracking head-butts. It is perhaps little wonder that few women traditionally enter the ring in Myanmar, but that has begun to change in recent years as gender roles shift, spurred by the country opening up to the world after decades of isolating military rule.

They wear uniforms, organize themselves in ranks and are comfortable handling deadly weapons. Many bear scars, usually cuts or burns. But this is not the Tatmadaw. This is Myanmar’s growing corps of professional chefs. Those with the stamina, the skill and the courage pass through the stages of steward, commis 3 to 1, demi-chef, sous-chef and executive chef, like 38-year-old Union Bar’s Kyaw Kyaw Lin and Parkroyal’s Aung Myo Lwin.