Advancing Electoral Democracy in Asia
First published on FAFEN's website on 19 January 2020. ISLAMABAD, January 19, 2021: Despite COVID-19 associated challenges, the PS-52 Umer Kot-II by-elections witnessed an encouraging male and female turnout with low incidence of procedural violations indicating improved election management by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). This was first by-election held after
18 January 2021 Kabul: IEC and the Afghan Government have agreed to hold a certain number of elections in the coming year at times when there is no suitable conditions for elections to take place. This is down to wide-spread insecurity as citizens even in Kabul and many other capital cities across
ANFREL member in Myanmar, the People's Action for Credible Elections (PACE) released two pre-election studies on migrant workers' perception of the 2020 Myanmar General Elections. The elections were held on 8 November 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. PACE, with the Foundation for Education Development, conducted a survey with migrant workers from Feb.
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
We, the undersigned organisations, strongly condemn the killing of elections monitor and democracy advocate Mohammad Yousuf Rasheed in Afghanistan and urge the authorities to bring those responsible to justice. On the morning of 23 December 2020, Rasheed, executive director of the Free and Fair Election Forum of Afghanistan (FEFA), was shot by
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 Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is saddened by the passing of our dear friend Mohammad Yousuf Rasheed from Afghanistan. On the morning of 23 December, Rasheed was shot in Kabul by unidentified gunmen while he was commuting to his office. He was transported to a hospital where he passed away
Four observers teams of the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) were deployed in the provinces of Surin, Samut Prakan, Nakhon Pathom, and Nonthaburi to monitor the Thai provincial elections held on 20 December 2020. These were the first local elections conducted since the civilian government was toppled by a military coup
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
Kabul 15 December 2020 The Free and Fair Election Forum of Afghanistan (FEFA) welcomes government’s focus on peace which has been a long-standing dream of the Afghan nation and believes that peace is not only a priority for the national stakeholders but also for the international stakeholders of Afghanistan success of which
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
The international community should take a strong stand for the protection of human rights in Bangladesh, seven human rights groups said on International Human Rights Day. As Bangladeshis grapple with the impact of Covid-19, the ruling Awami League has used the pandemic to tighten the screws on critics and the free press,
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
Statement by International NGOs on Pro-Democracy Protests on November 17 and 25, 2020 We, the undersigned organizations, condemn the Thai police’s unnecessary and excessive use of force against peaceful protesters marching to the national parliament in Bangkok on November 17, 2020. We are concerned that authorities could employ similar measures when facing
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
ANFREL member in Pakistan, the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), released the preliminary election observation report of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly elections held on 15 November 2020. FAFEN said the Election Day was largely peaceful with no major incidents of violence reported from anywhere in the region throughout the day. E-Day was
ANFREL wishes to congratulate the people of Myanmar, the Union Election Commission, and the hundreds of thousands of polling staff who made this electoral process a success despite difficult conditions. We further congratulate all election stakeholders, and in particular civil society organisations and the international community, for contributing to a vibrant election
First published on PACE's website on 9 November 2020. The People's Alliance for Credible Elections (PACE) said the election process in Myanmar was peaceful with no major incidents recorded. This is what PACE said in the preliminary findings of their observation of the 2020 Myanmar General Elections. PACE acknowledged the efforts of
ANFREL member in Myanmar, People's Alliance for Credible Elections (PACE), released the initial findings of their observation of the opening of polls in the 2020 Myanmar General Elections on 8 November 2020. PACE said they received isolated reports of observers not allowed to enter polling stations initially but was later resolved except
Press Release Yangon, Myanmar 8 November 2020 As Myanmar, a country still in democratic transition, is set to hold its general elections on 8 November 2020, around 37 million registered voters are encouraged to stay the course and exercise their right to vote. The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) calls on
First published on PACE's website on 1 November 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has hugely affected the campaign period in Myanmar, according to the preliminary report of the election observation of the People's Alliance for Credible Elections - PACE. In Yangon and Rakhine where the stay-at-home order was enforced in the entire region
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
First published on CMEV's website on 5 October 2020. ANFREL member in Sri Lanka, Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), designed and published a booklet providing a glimpse into the nature of reporting carried out by mainstream newspapers during the election period in the country. CMEV said the media is a stakeholder
The level of interest in politics is on a downward trend since 2015, according to a pre-election survey the People's Alliance for Credible Elections (PACE) conducted. The survey was conducted between August 3 to 5, 2020 with a total of 2,577 interviews across the country. PACE noted that they were not able
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
