Advancing Electoral Democracy in Asia
The National Unity Government (NUG) held its very first press conference on Friday 4 June. The junta shut down the internet between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m to disrupt that press conference being held by the parallel government. The NUG said that it will announce a national D-Day to fight the military
ANFREL started publishing the monthly brief on the countries under a restrictive environment in April 2021 to provide an insight into the human rights and democracy situation in these countries. In this issue, we will cover issues related to elections and civil and political rights in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar and Hong Kong.
The protests continued in different parts of Myanmar despite the crackdown by the junta. The clashes between the junta forces and the civil resistance fighters or Ethnic Armed Organizations also emerged in several places in Myanmar, such as in Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Chin, Shan, Sagaing and Yangon States/Regions. The Karen Peace Support
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) released the final comprehensive report of its international election observation mission to the 2020 Myanmar general elections and said “it is its informed opinion that the results of the 2020 general elections were, by and large, representative of the will of the people of Myanmar”.
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) hosted a session in the 2021 Gwangju Democracy Forum about “Democracy under Restrictive Environment” on 19 May 2021. The session discussed the state of democracy, challenges and threats in the Asian countries that saw democratic regression in Hong Kong, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. Panelists of
One hundred days after the coup, the junta has pushed the region’s fastest-growing economy into an economic and humanitarian disaster. The World Bank forecast shows that Myanmar's economy is expected to contract by 10% in 2021, a sharp difference from the previous prediction of 5.9% growth in October 2020. There is a
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) released the final comprehensive report of its international election observation mission to the 2020 Myanmar General Elections on 17 May 2021. The 2020 Myanmar polls encountered several challenges including restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the observed shortcomings, the outcome of the elections were deemed
*UPDATE: The preregistration form is now closed. Please visit the Gwangju Democracy Forum website to know more how you can participate in the session. The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is hosting the session “Democracy under Restrictive Environment” in the 2021 Gwangju Democracy Forum (GDF) on 19 May 2021, 10 a.m.
First published on FAFEN's website on 11 May 2021. Calls for a broader public debate and political discourse on the meaningful electoral reforms to enhance representation and inclusivity ISLAMABAD, May 11, 2021: The Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) has urged the government to desist from any haste in introducing the changes
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is launching the final comprehensive report of its international election observation mission to the 2020 Myanmar General Elections, on 17 May 2021 at 10 a.m. (Bangkok time). Considered only the second democratic elections, Myanmar held general elections on 8 November 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pro-democracy protests continued across the country in different townships despite the continuing lethal attacks by the junta forces and arrested of protests and the youth. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) figures showed that as of 9 May, 780 people have been killed by the junta, 3,826 are currently under
On 30 June 2020, China unilaterally passed a sweeping National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong. What are the main issues with the NSL? How will it affect elections? ANFREL produced this set of infographics to present key issues with the NSL and how it affects freedoms in Hong Kong.
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) released its new book on the media’s reporting of elections in Asia on World Press Freedom Day, 3 May 2021 through an online discussion forum. The book “Media Reporting of Elections in Asia: Issues, Challenges and Lessons” gathers the experience of journalists in Cambodia, Hong
Phnom Penh, 3 May 2021 - On the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day, we - the undersigned non-governmental organizations – recall that freedom of expression includes the right to a free and independent media as well as the rights to hold opinions and to seek, receive or impart information and
03 May 2021 H.E. Michelle BacheletUnited Nations High Commissioner for Human RightsPalais Wilson52 rue des PâquisCH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland RE: Crackdown on Press Freedom & Freedom of Expression in Bangladesh Dear High Commissioner Bachelet, On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, we write to draw your attention to the escalating human rights
The pro-democracy protests continued across the country while the Myanmar community outside of the country also conducted the protests in places such as London, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo and Seoul. The protests started again in Yangon last week just before the ASEAN summit after a few weeks of absence. Some flashmobs were also
3 May is World Press Freedom Day, as recognised by the United Nations. This year’s theme for World Press Freedom Day, “Information as a Public Good”, serves as a call to affirm the importance of cherishing reliable information as a public good. However, while this day is being commemorated all over the
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is hosting an online discussion to launch its new book about the media’s reporting of elections in Asia on World Press Freedom Day, 3 May 2021 at 3 p.m. (Bangkok time). Titled “Media Reporting of Elections in Asia: Issues, Challenges and Lessons”, the book gathers
The protests continued for the 12th week across the country despite the brutal crackdown. After a weeks-long absence, protesters returned to the streets in downtown Yangon ahead of the ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting. The media also reported that more than 110 people, many of them student activists and youth protesters, were abducted by
23 April 2021 To: Leaders of the Member States of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Your Excellencies, In alignment with the upcoming Special ASEAN Summit on Myanmar on 24 April 2021, we, the undersigned 744 individuals, 402 civil society organisations in Myanmar and 444 in other Southeast Asian nations
The protests continued for the 11th week despite the brutal crackdown by the junta forces. Ko Wai Moe Naing, a prominent leader of the pro-democracy protest movement in Monywa, Sagaing region, was beaten and dragged away after a vehicle hit his motorbike. 26 citizens were killed by the junta forces during the
Kabul: National Young Women Forum (NYWF) was established almost two years ago under the leadership of Transparent Election Foundation of Afghanistan, and since its very inception, the forum has worked to advocate women’s meaningful engagement in Afghanistan’s social and political processes. Now that the date for holding the Heart of Asia Summit
Many Asian countries, especially in South and Southeast Asia, saw democratic regressions in the pastyear. The governments took advantage of the global health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic tofurther tighten the restraints on civil liberties and crackdown on dissenters and political opponents. Asa democracy advocate, ANFREL will start publishing the monthly
The protests continued for the 10th week that protesters have used different methods to express their resistance towards the military coup such as “bleeding dye strike”, “marching shoes strike”, “flash strike” while the internet shutdown also continued at night time and all the wireless and broadband services were shut down since last
Transparency Maldives found in their observation of the Local Council and Women's Development Committee Elections on 10 April 2021 that the voting procedures were properly followed but COVID-19 risk mitigation strategies were not effectively enforced. TM trained and deployed 55 accredited observers who observed 34 polling stations in 29 islands across 19
First published on FAFEN's website on 11 April 2021. ISLAMABAD, April 11, 2021: NA-75 Sialkot-IV (Daska) by-election held on April 10, 2021 witnessed low incidences of electoral violations as procedures were generally transparent and election staff conducted the process with care and mostly in accordance with prescribed regulations. Political competition was heightened
ANFREL, Asia Democracy Network (ADN) and the Migrant Forum in Asia are holding a stakeholders' strategic conversation on migrant workers' franchise rights on 22 April 2021, at 2-4 p.m. (Manila time) via online meeting platform Zoom. Invited panelists are Ellene Sana, executive director of Center for Migrant Advocacy in the Philippines, Wahyu
The first quarter of 2021 saw Myanmar's return to military rule with the Tatmadaw's staging of a coup which seized power from the civilian government on 1 February 2021. The Tatmadaw refused to recognize the legitimacy of the 2020 Myanmar General Elections and insisted on their election fraud allegations. The Asian Network
Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) and ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) have made a joint submission to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Thailand that will take place in October 2021. The submission was done based on ANFREL's findings in its international election observation mission to the 2019 Thai general
Protests continued over the past week across the towns and cities in Myanmar despite the strong crackdown by the military and the police. The people of Myanmar protested using innovative ways, such as “garbage strikes”, “flower strikes” and “Easter egg strikes” throughout the week. Due to the air strikes in the Kayin
