Advancing Electoral Democracy in Asia
The arrest of three staffers from the Coalition of Cambodian Farmer Community (CCFC) and the unfounded charges of incitement and plotting against the nation marks yet another case of Cambodian authorities imprisoning human rights defenders for their peaceful activism. We, the undersigned groups, demand an end to the persecution of human rights
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) extends its congratulations to the people of Timor-Leste, as well as the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (STAE) and the National Elections Commission (CNE) for successfully conducting the 2023 parliamentary elections that were marked by peace, genuineness, and transparency. For the 2023 Timor-Leste parliamentary elections,
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) members selected a new set of Executive Council officers and members during the General Assembly held in Bangkok, Thailand on 18 May 2023. The following are the new officers and members of the ANFREL Executive Council who will serve a three-year term: • Chairperson: Rohana
The people of Timor-Leste head to the polls for the 2023 Parliamentary Elections today, 21 May 2023. The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) deployed five teams of international election observers to monitor the elections including polling and vote tabulation processes. ANFREL wishes the people of Timor-Leste safe and peaceful elections. This
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) deployed five international election observers in Timor-Leste to monitor the 2023 Parliamentary Elections. The election observers have been interviewing various stakeholders and observing election-related activities including preparations and campaign rallies. On Election Day, 21 May 2023, ANFREL will observe polling and vote tabulation processes. This
On May 14, 2023, over 39 million Thai people headed to the polls in the country’s largest democratic exercise ever. We salute the strong turnout of around 75% in spite of extreme heat and sometimes heavy rain, and congratulate the Election Commission of Thailand for a peaceful and orderly Election Day that
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) expresses deep concern over the disqualification of the Candlelight Party from contesting in the upcoming general election in Cambodia scheduled for July 2023. This decision by the National Election Committee (NEC) further undermines the democratic process in the country and denies the Cambodian people’s right
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) deployed 41 election observes across Thailand for the 2023 general election. ANFREL election observers, who are duly accredited by the Election Commission of Thailand, are monitoring the campaign period, advance voting, and preparations for the polls in 52 out of the 77 provinces in the
The human rights violations in the first three months of 2023 are a continuation of the human rights violations that have been going on for the past 14 years. After the current Awami League government came to power in 2009, it has been using all the state institutions, including the Election Commission,
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) launches our 2022 Annual Report detailing the trials and tribulations of BERSIH’s work in an unprecedented political environment. The year 2022 was significant because some reforms agreed by government and opposition parties in the Memorandum of Understanding on Transformation and Political Stability had materialised
Download the open letter here: Open Letter: 413 Civil Society Call on Timor-Leste to Retract Invitation to Illegal 'Myanmar Election Agency' His Excellency Dr. Jose Ramos-HortaPresidentDemocratic Republic of Timor-Leste Open Letter: 413 civil society call on Timor-Leste to retract invitation to illegal “Myanmar Election Agency” 7 April 2023 Dear Mr. President: The
Several civil society organizations in Sri Lanka including ANFREL members PAFFREL and CMEV, which united as the Civil Society Collective for Protecting the Franchise, urged diplomatic missions in the country to call for the holding of local government elections to protect the democracy. With the uncertainty with the holding of the local
ANFREL trained leaders of domestic election observer groups in Thailand and Timor-Leste ahead of the upcoming elections, released the final report on the observation of the 2022 Nepalese elections, and concluded the second media fellowship on election reporting program during the first quarter of 2023. Some 35 leaders of election observer groups
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) trained 35 leaders of election observer groups in Timor-Leste in preparation for the upcoming parliamentary elections. The ANFREL ToT for Domestic Observers in Timor-Leste, held from 31 March to 1 April 2023 in Dili, sought to mentor the participants on training their members about election
Media Statement30 March 2023 The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) strongly condemns the Myanmar junta’s mass dissolution of political parties in Myanmar, including the National League for Democracy (NLD), which has been at the forefront of democratic aspirations of the people of Myanmar. The move by the junta is another blatant
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) applauds the statement by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim that he is receptive to placing the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) under Parliament and the appointment process of its chief to be vetted by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC). The Prime Minister said he ‘has no
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) organized a training of trainers workshop for national election monitoring groups in Thailand on 25-26 March 2023. Ahead of the upcoming general election, ANFREL gathered in Bangkok, Thailand about 40 leaders of election observer groups in Thailand to mentor them on training their members about
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) welcomes the formation of the 10 Parliamentary Special Select Committees (PSSC) that were approved in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday. Each PSSC will comprise 9 Members of Parliament (MPs) including the Chairman. The 10 PSSCs are: 1) Finance and Economy2) Security3) Health4) Domestic Trade, Entrepreneurship,
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) Executive Council officers and members gathered in Bangkok, Thailand on 20 March 2023 for the regular council meeting. The ANFREL Secretariat, led by Executive Director Chandanie Watawala, presented ANFREL's programs in 2022 and the outlook for 2023. The Executive Council reaffirmed ANFREL's commitment to push
The Coalition for Free and Fair Election (Bersih) is pleased to announce that Ooi Kok Hin has been appointed as our Executive Director, effective 20 March 2023. He brings a diverse experience, skills, and network of over eight years in think tanks, civil society and academia. Kok Hin was previously a research
The National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) observed the plebiscites in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur in the Philippines on 18 March 2023. The plebiscites were conducted to ratify the creation of Barangays Boronga II and Datu Dalidigan in Marawi City. NAMFREL said the polling process was peaceful and the counting
March 15, 2023 - We, as representatives of parliamentary monitoring organizations participating in the Parliament Openness and Monitoring Forum held in Taiwan in March 2023, we deeply recognize the importance of parliamentary monitoring, especially as many countries are facing the threat of democratic regression. We believe that parliamentary monitoring organizations play a
We are greatly concerned by the government's proposed amendments to the Election (General) Act 11/2008 that will potentially restrict the scope of journalists monitoring elections, just six months ahead of this year's presidential elections. According to the proposed amendment to Section 41 of the Act, only registered journalists will be allowed to
ANFREL members in the Philippines welcomed the passage of the Bangsamoro Electoral Code in the Philippines. The National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) said they welcome the passage of the code and hoped that it would pave the way for the success of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)
March 8 is International Women's Day. It is commemorated to celebrate the gains in advancing women's rights as well as shed light on the issues and challenges they encounter including participation and engaging in politics and governance. The Inter-Parliamentary Union, in their "Women in Parliament in 2022" report, found that while women's
Nine journalist trained, mentored; 10 stories produced Nine Asian journalists completed the five-month intensive training on election reporting publishing 10 election-related reports developed and produced under the ANFREL Asian Media Fellowship on Election Reporting. The media fellowship program ran for five months from October 2022 to February 2023. It provided media fellows
Lek Karry has been using a smartphone for nearly two years but the grade 12 student admits she still struggles to distinguish between real and fake information online. An indigenous Brao from Ke Kuong village in northeastern Ratanakiri province, Karry initially got a smartphone to study online during the height of the
Our fact-checking Auntie B is back! In the second part of The Budol Fight series, Auntie B talks to Philstar.com chief editor Camille Diola about their observations and insights over the spread of disinformation during the 2022 national and local elections in the Philippines. The second of a two-part series, "The Budol
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) submitted to the UN Human Rights Committee election-related issues concerning human rights in Sri Lanka ahead of the country's ICCPR review on 8-9 March 2023. ANFREL said the postponement of the local government elections due to the COVID-19 pandemic raised concerns about its legitimacy given
CMEV expresses its grave concern about the first death reported yesterday in connection with the Local Government Elections 2023. This death follows from the undemocratic and repressive actions of the Sri Lanka Police to prevent a protest rally organised by the National People’s Power (NPP). Nimal Amarasiri, a NPP candidate for the