"ECONOMIC growth in Myanmar may be held back by uncertainty ahead of the 2020 elections, the International Monetary Fund revealed. Foreign direct investment inflows and project approvals, it warns, remain lower than in recent years because large projects have been completed and foreign investors remain cautious ahead of the polls scheduled next year. The IMF, after the annual Article IV consultations in the country, however, sees the economy continuing to grow steadily, according to The Myanmar Times. “For 2019-20, growth is expected to be broadly stable, with higher government spending largely offset by pre-election uncertainty and weaker private demand,” the fund said in a statement. It, however, reiterated warnings made last April that “risks are tilted to the downside” and cited concerns over fallout from the Rakhine crisis and weaknesses in the banking sector. "On the domestic front, growth could underperform if fiscal spending does not accelerate sufficiently. Delayed restructuring and recapitalisation of the banking system could increase systemic risks with large macro financial spillovers. "A deterioration of the security situation and continued humanitarian issues in Rakhine could weigh on sentiment,” the IMF said in the statement issued following a visit by its team of economists..."