Advancing Electoral Democracy in Asia
The Asian Network for Free Election (ANFREL) is organizing a webinar on COVID-19 and the General Election in Myanmar this Monday, 14 September 2020, at 4 p.m. (Yangon Time).* The 2020 Myanmar General Election is being conducted amid the COVID-19 pandemic. While some countries have postponed their scheduled elections this year due
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) released its assessment report of the 2020 Sri Lankan Parliamentary Elections providing insights on the conduct of elections amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 16,263,885 eligible voters were invited to cast their votes on 5 August 2020 for the parliamentary elections organized with certain
For Immediate Release (Dhaka, August 28, 2020) – Bangladesh security forces and law-enforcement agencies continuously commit enforced disappearances with impunity, targeting journalists, activists, and government critics, 12 human rights groups said today ahead of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. The groups remember the victims of enforced disappearances and
The media and its role to inform the public and scrutinize the electoral processes are important during elections, said a panel during the 8th Conference on Media Development in Myanmar, yesterday, 24 August 2020. The Asian Network for Free Elections - ANFREL was one of the panelists of the plenary session on
First published on the website of PACE on 24 August 2020. The Union Election Commission stated that it will grant accreditation letter to PACE (People’s Alliance for Credible Elections) only after PACE has been registered under Association Registration Law, even though it stated earlier that accreditation for election observation in 2020 General
The National Election Observation Committee (NEOC) released their public perception survey on electoral risks management in Nepal. The two-month long survey was done from 1 June to 31 July 2019 using a questionnaire containing at least 40 questions to measure various risk factors that may have compromised electoral credibility in the past.
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) conducted two Election Monitoring Training for domestic election monitors in Bago from 4-5 August 2020 and in Pyi Oo Lwin from 14-15 August 2020. In partnership with the New Myanmar Foundation (NMF), the participants learned about democracy, the election cycle and the underlying election rules
NAMFREL Press Statement, August 18, 2020 The National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) welcomes the decision of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to resume the registration of voters for the 2022 elections on September 1 nationwide, except in areas under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) or Modified ECQ. NAMFREL also commends the
In the second part of the ANFREL Webinar Series, election monitoring groups in Myanmar encouraged voters to participate in the electoral process. Amid calls for "no vote", Daw Mya Nandar Thin of the New Myanmar Foundation (NMF) said democracy in Myanmar is very young and that the country is still under democratic
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) held the first cascade workshop on reporting elections for journalists in Myanmar from 13 to 15 August 2020, in Yangon. In partnership with the Myanmar Press Council, the three-day workshop allowed participants of ANFREL's Training of Trainers program for journalists on election reporting to share
First published on the website of PACE on 13 August 2020. Press Statement – Restrictions on Observation PACE Concerned that Restrictions on Domestic Election Observation of 2020 General Elections will Decrease the Transparency and Credibility of the Election 13 August 2020, Yangon The Union Election Commission (UEC) has responded to the application
See more photos here: "By-Election in Samut Prakan, Thailand" The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) observed a by-election in Thailand’s Samut Prakan province on 9 August 2020. It was the second time a by-election took place in the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic, under the “new normal election” policy devised by
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is hosting a webinar on candidate registration, voter list display & voter education on 17 August 2020, Monday at 4 p.m. (Yangon Time).* This is part of a series of webinars which aims to create public awareness on democratic elections in the lead up to
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) wishes to congratulate the people of Sri Lanka for the successful conduct of the 2020 Sri Lankan Parliamentary Election. With an estimated voter turnout of over 70 percent, Election Day was generally peaceful and the efforts to ensure the public's health and safety amid the
Scene from the opening of polls in Sri Lanka on 5 August 2020. Sri Lanka held its Parliamentary Election amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Election Commission assured voters that the polling stations will be safe with health guidelines imposed for this election. The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) deployed six assessment
On August 5, over 16 million Sri Lankan voters are invited to cast their ballots in South Asia’s first major elections since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially scheduled for April 25, the polls had to be postponed twice. On the eve of this exercise in democracy, the Asian Network for
Select journalists in Myanmar joined a refresher workshop for the participants of the ANFREL Training of Trainers Program for Journalists on Election Reporting, in Yangon, from 1 to 2 August 2020. In partnership with the Myanmar Press Council, the two-day workshop was held to help participants plan and organize their knowledge sharing
Election volunteers of the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) participated in a one-day online pre-deployment briefing on 31 July 2020. They will be gathering information for ANFREL's assessment of the 2020 Sri Lankan Parliamentary Election. Six election volunteers were given an orientation on the political and electoral system of Sri Lanka
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) organized a webinar on observing and monitoring media reporting during elections on 30 July 2020 for various organizations in Myanmar. Mr. Kumar Lopez of the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) and Daw Zin Mar Oo of Myanmar Network Organization for Free and Fair Election (MYNFREL)
First published on the website of CMEV on 27 July 2020. ANFREL member in Sri Lanka, the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), released their report on hate speech and use of divisive language during the 2020 Parliamentary General Election. CMEV looked at notable incidents of hate speech and use of divisive
First published on the website of CMEV on 23 July 2020. ANFREL member in Sri Lanka, the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence, has released its first evaluation of the ground situation during the election campaign for the 2020 Parliamentary Election. The ground evaluation took place during the first two weeks since the
21 July 2020 Your excellency, We, the undersigned 33 civil society organizations, urge the Governments of Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America to echo the European Union (EU) in its call for the
We, the undersigned 27 civil society organisations, are deeply concerned with the introduction of the National Security Law in Hong Kong. We call on the Governments of China and Hong Kong to repeal this law, which severely clamps down on the rights of the Hong Kong people. A year after protests against
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is alarmed by the quickly deteriorating election environment in the run-up to the Hong Kong Legislative Council elections scheduled for 6 September 2020. The new National Security Law that came into effect on 30 June has exacerbated a climate of fear in Hong Kong’s electoral
No one should be left behind. Panelists, during ANFREL’s webinar on the importance of inclusiveness in the 2020 Myanmar General Election, representing various sectors like women, ethnic groups, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and the LGBT community agree that free and fair elections can only be achieved if elections are inclusive to their
Today, on the fourth anniversary of the killing of prominent political commentator and human rights defender Kem Ley, we, the 30 undersigned organizations, call on the Cambodian authorities to create an independent Commission of Inquiry to conduct an effective and impartial investigation that is long overdue into Kem Ley’s death. We further
As Singapore is set to hold its general election on 10 July 2020, issues and challenges that affect free and fair elections in the city-state still linger, according to panelists in a webinar the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) hosted last Sunday, 5 July 2020. Aimed to provide an understanding of
ANFREL member in Bangladesh, Odhikar, said in their 2020 second quarter report on the human rights situation in the country that the persecution against them since 2013 continues until this day. The registration of Odhikar has not been renewed until now since they applied to the NGO Affairs Bureau (NGOAB) under the
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is hosting a webinar on the importance of inclusiveness in elections on 13 July 2020, Monday at 4 p.m. (Yangon Time).* This is part of a series of webinars which aims to create public awareness on democratic elections in the lead up to the 2020
For the second edition of the quarterly newsletter e-Bulletin, the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) highlighted the developments in Sri Lanka which is set to hold their election on 5 August 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. ANFREL hosted a webinar to gather updates and insights on the Sri Lankan polls with
