By April 1 Myanmar will have elected its new president, heralding the end of over six decades of authoritarianism. But the new administration faces daunting economic, social, and political challenges.

Myanmar’s new parliament will begin deliberations in late January 2016, and a new president will be elected in March. But there is no certainty that the transfer of power will be smooth or peaceful—or whether it will happen at all.

Myanmar’s upcoming 2015 elections will be an important milestone in the country’s struggle to define itself as it goes through profound economic and political change. Yet its transition to democracy is challenged by deep internal ethnic and communal fault lines and a legacy of human rights abuses.