The Myanmar military staged a coup on 1 February 2021 grabbing power from the civilian government which undermined a democratic process that happened just months prior. The people of Myanmar strongly opposed the coup and have since been going out in the streets to peacefully protest and demand the restoration of democracy
As the people of Myanmar continue the civil disobedience movement including nationwide street protests, the total number of deaths has doubled to at least 126 in the past week. The anti-coup protests saw another record-breaking surge in deaths on 14 March alone when at least 38 civilians were killed by security forces.
The people of Myanmar continue the civil disobedience movement, which include street protests, civil service strikes, the boycott of military-linked business, and the social punishment campaign which netizens name and shame police, military personnel and their family members on social media and business owners refused to provide service to them. Myanmar saw
Every year, on March 8, the world celebrates the International Women’s Day, shedding light on the plight of women in pursuit of gender equality. Among them, representation and participation in governance and politics. Indeed, women have come a long way with the increase in the number of women elected in parliament as
The 2021 Myanmar military coup began on 1 February 2021 when the Myanmar military, Tatmadaw detained numerous government officials, including State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint, and Union Election Commission (UEC) Chair U Hla Thein, as well as pro-democracy activists and politicians from the ruling National League
Several domestic election observer groups, during a webinar that ANFREL hosted, urged the Union Election Commission (UEC) to provide more opportunities for election stakeholders to participate in the electoral process in Myanmar. ANFREL hosted a webinar about post-election findings of election observer groups in Myanmar on 25 January 2021. The ANFREL Webinar
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is hosting a webinar on 25 January 2021, Monday, at 4 p.m. (Yangon time) about the post-election observation findings of election observer groups in Myanmar. This is part of a series of webinars which aims to create public awareness on democratic elections and create a
The year 2020 has been quite a challenging year for many as the COVID-19 pandemic affected many aspects of everyday life. For this edition of ANFREL's newsletter e-Bulletin, we highlight our activities and programs not just for the last quarter of 2020 but our journey throughout the year. The Asian Network for
Several election observer groups during a webinar ANFREL hosted on 21 December 2020 said that while there have been observed changes in the electoral process, more reforms and improvements are still needed to sustain electoral democracy in Myanmar. The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) invited People's Alliance for Credible Election (PACE)
The elections in Thailand this Sunday, 20 December 2020, is an important democratic milestone since it'll be the first local elections to be held since the military-led coup took over the civilian government in 2014, panelists of ANFREL's webinar agreed. ANFREL organized a webinar on Tuesday, 15 December 2020, to discuss the
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is hosting a webinar about the Thai local elections looking into the opportunities and obstacles for decentralization in Thailand on Tuesday, 15 December 2020, at 4 p.m. (Bangkok Time). Local elections in Thailand are scheduled for 20 December 2020. ANFREL invited Dr. Orathai Kokpol, deputy
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is hosting a webinar on 21 December 2020, Monday at 4 p.m. (Yangon Time) about the findings of election observer groups in the recently concluded 2020 Myanmar General Elections. This is part of a series of webinars which aims to create public awareness on democratic
While the Election Day in Myanmar has been observed to be generally peaceful, a panel of local election observer groups agreed that certain measures need to be taken to improve the electoral process in the country. ANFREL invited New Myanmar Foundation (NMF) executive director Mya Nandar Thin, Phan Tee Eain – Creative
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is hosting a webinar on 1 December 2020, Tuesday at 4 p.m. (Yangon Time) about the findings of election observer groups in the recently concluded 2020 Myanmar General Elections. This is part of a series of webinars which aims to create public awareness on democratic
Press Release Yangon, Myanmar 29 October 2020 The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) formally launched its international election observation mission to the 2020 Myanmar General Elections with the deployment of 13 long-term observers (LTOs) on 26 October 2020. As the country is set to hold its general elections on 8 November
Domestic election observation groups said during ANFREL’s webinar that they face several challenges in observing the Myanmar polls that are being conducted amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the challenges are delays in the accreditation process of observers, difficulties in training and deploying observers, and uncertainties in the election process. Authorities have imposed
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is looking for students majoring in finance, accounting or related courses who are seeking internship opportunities. The Finance Intern will work with ANFREL's team in our head office in Bangkok, Thailand to support the finance and admin officers in keeping financial records and other related
The Asian Network for Free Elections is organizing a webinar on election observation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Myanmar on Monday, 19 October 2020, at 4 p.m. (Yangon Time).* With the continuous rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases in Myanmar, authorities have imposed restrictions to curb the further spread of the virus. Several
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) continues to engage various stakeholders in Asia, especially in Sri Lanka and Myanmar, during the third quarter of 2020. ANFREL released the report of its assessment of the 2020 Sri Lankan Parliamentary Election held on 5 August 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (The report can
Two students from Myanmar who are studying in Thailand have completed the ANFREL internship program. Nang Kham Mai and Hnin Set Win from the Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies at Rangsit University spent two months with ANFREL and worked with the team for the Sri Lanka election assessment in August and
Elections during the COVID-19 pandemic can succeed when election stakeholders cooperate among each other, said panelists of the ANFREL webinar on COVID-19 and the 2020 General Elections in Myanmar. Mr. Kyaw Htin of the New Myanmar Foundation said stakeholders need to cooperate among each other and share information. He said transparency on
The Asian Network for Free Election (ANFREL) conducted a media observation training for the Myanmar Network Organization for Free and Fair Elections (MYNFREL) from 8 to 9 September 2020. The Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) shared their experience observing the media coverage of the 2015 General Elections and 2019 Presidential Election in
The Asian Network for Free Election (ANFREL) is organizing a webinar on COVID-19 and the General Election in Myanmar this Monday, 14 September 2020, at 4 p.m. (Yangon Time).* The 2020 Myanmar General Election is being conducted amid the COVID-19 pandemic. While some countries have postponed their scheduled elections this year due
The media and its role to inform the public and scrutinize the electoral processes are important during elections, said a panel during the 8th Conference on Media Development in Myanmar, yesterday, 24 August 2020. The Asian Network for Free Elections - ANFREL was one of the panelists of the plenary session on
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) conducted two Election Monitoring Training for domestic election monitors in Bago from 4-5 August 2020 and in Pyi Oo Lwin from 14-15 August 2020. In partnership with the New Myanmar Foundation (NMF), the participants learned about democracy, the election cycle and the underlying election rules
In the second part of the ANFREL Webinar Series, election monitoring groups in Myanmar encouraged voters to participate in the electoral process. Amid calls for "no vote", Daw Mya Nandar Thin of the New Myanmar Foundation (NMF) said democracy in Myanmar is very young and that the country is still under democratic
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) held the first cascade workshop on reporting elections for journalists in Myanmar from 13 to 15 August 2020, in Yangon. In partnership with the Myanmar Press Council, the three-day workshop allowed participants of ANFREL's Training of Trainers program for journalists on election reporting to share
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is hosting a webinar on candidate registration, voter list display & voter education on 17 August 2020, Monday at 4 p.m. (Yangon Time).* This is part of a series of webinars which aims to create public awareness on democratic elections in the lead up to
Select journalists in Myanmar joined a refresher workshop for the participants of the ANFREL Training of Trainers Program for Journalists on Election Reporting, in Yangon, from 1 to 2 August 2020. In partnership with the Myanmar Press Council, the two-day workshop was held to help participants plan and organize their knowledge sharing
Election volunteers of the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) participated in a one-day online pre-deployment briefing on 31 July 2020. They will be gathering information for ANFREL's assessment of the 2020 Sri Lankan Parliamentary Election. Six election volunteers were given an orientation on the political and electoral system of Sri Lanka
