I. The election timetable...II. Designation of constituencies...III. Party registration process...IV. Tensions continue over the Border Guard Force scheme...V. The campaign period...Appendix 1 – Registration/approval of political parties as of 23 August 2010...Appendix 2 – Seats in the national legislatures...Appendix 3 – Seats in the fourteen region/state assemblies.....I. The election timetable: "On 13 August, the Myanmar Election Commission finally announced the timetable for the country?s first elections in two decades; two days earlier, it had designated the constituencies.2 The key dates are as follows: The announcement gave parties little more than two weeks? notice of the candidate registration deadline – although most parties had already been considering for some time the question of which constituencies they would contest, and identifying possible candidates. The limited time remaining, and the considerable costs associated with contesting a seat (a non-refundable US$500 fee per candidate), mean that a number of parties have to scale-back their ambitions. With 498 seats up for grabs at the national level, and a further 665 in regional legislatures, only highly-organized and well-funded parties can hope to contest a majority of seats. Although parties have already started their canvassing activities, the campaign period proper – when confirmed candidates can formally seek support from the electorate in their constituency – will last only two months..."