The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) takes exception to the call of Speaker of Dewan Rakyat Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun for party leaders to submit statutory declarations (SD) of their MPs who are willing to give support to a PM candidate to form the new government. The Speaker should
ANFREL member in Nepal, the National Election Observation Committee (NEOC) deployed 1,062 stationary and mobile observers on 20 November 2022, Election Day, to observe the electoral process. Here are their observations:
ANFREL member in Nepal, the National Election Observation Committee (NEOC) deployed 77 long-term observers across 77 districts in Nepal to monitor the pre-election period ahead of the November 20 Federal and Provincial Elections. Here are their observations:
As Malaysia is expecting a hung Parliament where no single party or coalition would command a simple majority, The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) calls upon all political parties to respect the democratic procedures and exercise prudence in their post-election maneuvers to ensure that Malaysia can have a stable Federal
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) calls on all broadcast media organisations, in particular, state-owned RTM, Media Prima and Astro, as well as all print and online news portals, to provide fair and balance media coverage for all political parties and independent candidates in the upcoming 15th General Election (GE15).
Abuse of State Resources (ASR) is an overlooked form of political corruption in the Philippines whereby candidates or political parties unduly utilize official powers and government resources to gain electoral advantage. What distinguishes ASR from the other acts of corruption is its indispensable electoral component, that is, the acts are committed to
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) strongly condemns any violence and acts of hooliganism toward political rivals. Last night (22 October), a group of thugs disrupted a dinner event by MUDA in the Yong Sheng banquet hall (1) in Muar. A similar interruption happened in a MUDA ceramah in Muar
October 21, 2022, Ortigas, National Capital Region. In line with the Bangsamoro Transition Authority's (BTA) ongoing development and public consultation, the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) presents its recommendations to the current iteration of the proposed Bangsamoro Electoral Code (BEC). Since 2020, LENTE, in various roles and capacities, has been actively
BERSIH calls upon the Election Commission (EC) and the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) to publish their Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on Voting amidst Floods (UndiBanjir). The EC’s special meeting tomorrow (20 October) to decide on nomination and poling days must also cover the contingency plan to prevent unintended vote suppression caused
The National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) has submitted to the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament its position paper on BTA Bill No. 29 or “An Act Providing for the Bangsamoro Electoral Code of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao” or the Bangsamoro Electoral Code (BEC). The Code is intended
ANFREL member Transparency Maldives, in collaboration with the Anti-Corruption Commission of Maldives, will bring together state-owned enterprises (SOE) and key stakeholders in a national level conference on anti-corruption on 30-31 October 2022. The Maldives Anti-Corruption Conference 2022 will feature various panel discussuons with national and international partners on corruption issues and what
On the occasion of the 39th founding anniversary of the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), allow me to greet everyone, our volunteers, supporters, partners, and friends a happy anniversary! NAMFREL remains true to its vision of strengthening democracy through helping ensure clean, honest and credible elections and to empower the
The National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) observed the 2022 Ormoc Plebiscite in the Philippines on 8 October 2022. The voters in Ormoc City, Leyte were asked whether or not they agree to renaming and merger of 28 villages into three. The Commission on Elections said 89.34 percent yes with 10.08
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) expresses regret that Prime Minister has made a request for early dissolution of the 14th Parliament, which the King conventionally always grant the assent. Now, the Election Commission (EC) must call for polling to take place within 60 days. BERSIH reiterates our view that
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) is proud to release our Annual Report for the year 2021, a year our nation faced great political upheavals with the declaration of national emergency by then Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on 12 January 2021 with the suspension of Parliament and elections, contestably, to
The Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (COMFREL) published the findings of their monitoring of the 2022 Commune and Sangkat Council Elections. COMFREL looked at several components of the election including the legal framework, election administration and management, campaign environment and the conduct of the polling and counting procedures on
The Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) thanked the Maguindanaoans for taking part in the historic plebiscite on Saturday, 17 September 2022, where they voted on whether or not they agree in dividing the province into Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur. LENTE, however, observed that proper health protocols were not
The National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) observed the conduct of the 17 September 2022 Maguindanao Plebiscite to divide the province into Maguindano del Norte and Maguindano del Sur. NAMFREL volunteers reported that the procedure was smooth and peaceful, in general. Security remained an issue in many parts of Maguindanao, however.
Malaysians Deserve Better! Make Voting Easier for Out-of-Region and Overseas Voters The celebration of Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day this year is especially meaningful. As a nation, we have come of age. The weak institutions that allowed a Prime Minister to rob the nation of billions of Ringgits are being restored now
ANFREL member in Sri Lanka, the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) opened calls for applications from interested members of the youth to participate in a certificate course on Electoral Studies and Democracy Empowerment. CMEV is offering the course free of charge to members of the youth sector aged 18-35 years old
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) staunchly rejects the push by certain quarters in UMNO to have an early 15th General Election (GE15) to save kleptocrats from justice in court. BERSIH calls upon all parties to instead support a new convention of ‘fixed term parliament’ by allowing the 14th Parliament
The Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) provided the following update on a August 23 senate committee hearing on the postponement of the scheduled Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (Young Council) elections in the Philippines. LENTE highlighted two major challenges that emerged from the hearing: The Senate Committee on Electoral Reform and People's
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) applauds the Federal Court’s decision in upholding former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s convictions and sentences on all 7 counts of abuse of power and misappropriation of funds in the SRC International case, citing that the defence “was inherently inconsistent that it fails to raised
NAMFREL repeats its call for the holding of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on 5 December 2022, as mandated under Republic Act No. 11462, and takes this opportunity to counter the arguments in favor of postponement as raised during the 16 August 2022 hearing of the House of Representatives Committee
In a report on its observation of the recently concluded resumption of voter registration, submitted to the COMELEC on August 10 and a copy of which was sent to the Senate and the House of Representatives, NAMFREL urges Congress to amend current laws or pass new laws to fundamentally change the country's
We, young NAMFREL members, urge Congress to allow the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to push through on December 5, 2022. In a democratic state such as the Philippines, the will of the people should always be heeded in the way they are governed. Based on Article II, Section 1 of
ISLAMABAD, August 7, 2022: Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) calls upon the Parliament and political parties to strengthen the regulations on political finance to curtail the role of money in elections that has practically deprived the majority of the population of exercising their right to contest elections. FAFEN urges the political
MANILA, Philippines – The Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) remains hopeful that the Senate and the House of Representatives would override President Bongbong Marcos’ decision to veto a bill exempting the honoraria, allowances, and other benefits of poll workers and staff from taxes. LENTE stood its ground by stating that the
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) congratulates the Federal government and Pakatan Harapan (PH) on the passing of the long-overdue Constitutional (Amendment) (No 3) Bill 2022 (Anti-Hopping Amendments) at the Dewan Rakyat today. The passing of this Bill is a testament of the success of the Memorandum of Understanding for
Transparency Maldives, one of the signatories in this joint statement, is a member of the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL). 25 July 2022: The undersigned 10 organizations call on the government of Maldives to repeal or amend the deeply problematic provision in the Evidence Act (Act No. 11/2022) that compels journalists
