On the one-year anniversary of Thailand's most recent coup, ANFREL's fears in the days following the 22 May 2014 coup have unfortunately come true. The timing for elections has been pushed back repeatedly, with threats to delay them further unless conditions, in the eyes of the ruling junta, prove perfect. Until the
BANGKOK, 26 May 2014 – The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) Foundation today expressed its condemnation of the Thai military’s May 22nd coup and the subsequent collapse of democratic rights that has followed. Thursday’s military takeover is a grave violation of the fundamental rights of all Thais, no matter their affiliation,
BANGKOK, 03 February 2014 – The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) commends today those that participated in Thailand’s 02nd February Election. Voters with diverse views, including those voting for parties as well as those exercising their right to “vote no” on the ballot, should be complimented for engaging in such a
BANGKOK, 27 January 2014 – The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) views with grave concern all acts of violence and violations of human, civil, and political rights that took place on January 26th, Advanced Voting Day in Thailand. Regarding the shooting of protest leader Suthin Tharatin and the injuries that took
BANGKOK, 26 January 2014, 10:00am – With over two million Thais eligible to vote on Sunday the 26th of January’s advanced voting day, the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) calls on all groups to respect the sanctity of the vote and not take provocative actions at polling centers which disrupt and
Below, find the letter ANFREL sent on 7 January 2014 to Khaosod newspaper regarding its recent representation of ANFREL's position on the political and electoral situation in Thailand: Download Here [embed width="650" height="850"]https://anfrel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Open-Letter-to-Khaosod-Newspaper.pdf[/embed]
For Immediate Release: BANGKOK, 23 DECEMBER 2013 – The ANFREL Foundation wishes to express its ongoing concern about street protests in Bangkok, in particular, the recent attempt by protesters to forcibly block elections scheduled for 02 February 2014 as well as their call for an unelected and unrepresentative body to govern the
For Immediate Release: BANGKOK, 08 December 2013 – The ANFREL Foundation wishes to express its deep concern about the ongoing protests in Bangkok, in particular, the attempt by protesters to remove an elected government through undemocratic means and their calling for an unelected body to govern the country, a so-called “People’s Council”,
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) recently released a chart assigning a score for political rights and civil liberties to 30 countries in Asia. The chart can be viewed below.
The Open Forum for Democracy Foundation (PollWatch), The People Network for Elections in Thailand (P-Net), and the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) today called for a restructuring of the electoral system in Thailand in an endeavour to more fully realize the democratic rights of Thai voters. After a 3-day seminar of
View Full Report (PDF) ประการ หนึ่งในวัตถุประสงคเหลานั้น คือ “เพื่อขยายขอบเขตความเขาใจ และสงเสริมเผยแพร ตลอดจนการนําบรรทัดฐาน กฏระเบียบ และแนวทางที่ ประยุกตอยางสอดคลองกับแนวคิดพหุนิยมแบบหลายพรรคและกระบวนการ ประชาธิปไตย ไปสูการปฏิบัติ” เพื่ อ ให เ ป น ไปตามวั ต ถุ ป ระสงค ดั ง กล า ว ในป พ.ศ. 2540 International IDEA ไดจัดพิมพหนังสือ 2 เลม ดังนี้ : - จรรยาบรรณสําหรับการสังเกตการณการเลือกตั้งอยางมืออาชีพและมี จริยธรรม และ - จรรยาบรรณสํ า หรั บ การบริ ห
Constitutional Amendments & Electoral System The constitutional amendments and subsequent changes to the Electoral Law of early 2011 made significant changes to the electoral system. The number of elected members of parliament was increased from 480 to 500, divided between 375 elected from single member constituencies (first-past-the-post) and 125 elected from a
The World Forum for Democratization in Asia (WFDA) is closely following the general election that will be held in Thailand on 3 July, with both hope and concern. Following the military coup in 2006, Thailand has seen a rapid succession of governments, of various persuasions, all of which suffered from deficits of
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is urging all parties in Thailand's Sunday election to act in a credible and fair manner and to “accept and respect the will of the people as expressed at the ballot box.” In a statement issued in New York Wednesday, Mr. Ban said he is following the
Sixty representatives of the Asian Network for Free Elections from 24 nations have begun travelling to the provinces to monitor Sunday's election. They will assess political developments and keep an eye on electioneering, especially in fiercely contested areas, said Anfrel chairman Damaso Magbual yesterday.
While commending Sunday's advance voting as relatively well managed, the Asian Network for Free Election (Anfrel) has urged the Election Commission (EC) to place more emphasis on the quality of polling booth officials and called for transparent storage and counting of ballots and transporting of votes cast outside home provinces. The Anfrel
With the organization of the advanced vote on Sunday 26th June, the ongoing electoral process in Thailand has entered a new phase: nearly 3 million voters, both residents and non-resident voters registered to cast their vote one week prior to the General Elections on 3rd July 2011. Voters across the country were
An international organization is appealing for party leaders in Thailand to ask their supporters to end violence and stop obstructing the campaign processes of their opponents. The Asian Network for Free Elections, supported by private-sector groups in 11 countries, said Tuesday it has recorded several cases of threats and intimidation during the
The run up to the July 3 election, marred by reports of violence from different parts of the country, has become a cause of concern for everyone. There have been several reports of violence from Samut Prakan under Phra Pradaeng district as well as from other provinces. The stabbing death of a
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) will deploy its staff to observe the upcoming general election in Thailand in the hope that the election will normalize Thai politics and reinforce democracy.
The Asian Network for Free Elections will begin its monitoring of Thailand's general election Tuesday, with vote-buying and political violence among its top concerns. The poll watcher urged Thai citizens to report any unusual circumstances in their localities, while the media, the Election Commission of Thailand and political parties contesting the poll
VOTE-BUYING is a concern in Thailand's upcoming national election, an international monitoring group that will be observing the polls said on Monday. The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is deploying about 60 observers nationwide for the July 3 vote, the first since Thailand's deadliest political unrest in decades last year.
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) announced Monday it would dispatch 60 volunteers from 24 countries to 77 provinces monitor the situation ahead of the July 3 election. ANFREL director Somsri Harnananthasuk told a press conference that the first group of ANFREL observers would go out to provinces on Tuesday. Later
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) will begin deploying a team of election observers from countries across Asia and beyond. At a press conference held at 2:00pm on the 6th, ANFREL’s team explained the structure and methodology of its observation effort and detailed the areas where ANFREL had concerns about the
6 Jan 2001 Thaksin Shinawatra and his Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party win general elections on a populist platform of economic growth and development. He wins control of 296 of 500 seats in the House of Representatives. Jan 2004 Muslim radicals launch an insurgency in the southern provinces. Thaksin responds with a
Election candidates nationwide began registering for the race in the constituency system yesterday, the first day of registration. In several constituencies, former MPs still banned from politics fielded their political proteges in hopes of maintaining the ranks of their candidates. In the provinces, single-seat constituency registrations for 375 MPs were held at
Pledge by political parties not to engage in violence, and respect results Today representatives from 19 political parties signed a code of conduct for the election campaign, pledging themselves to a set of principles for a free and fair election. This code of conduct is an important sign of cooperation between political
Two recent opinion polls show the opposition Pheu Thai Party as most likely to win the general election. One poll result, conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida) during May 2-3 from 1,203 samples across the country, showed 23.36% of respondents would vote for the Pheu Thai Party, 20.20% for
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Friday confirmed he has submitted a royal decree seeking a House dissolution to His Majesty the King for royal endorsement.
