Advancing Electoral Democracy in Asia
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) and youth volunteers from domestic observer group WeWatch were in Lampang (Northern Thailand) on 20 June 2020 to monitor the first by-election held in Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic. The election served as testing grounds for "new normal" polling procedures introduced by the Election Commission.
First published on the website of CMEV on 17 June 2020. ANFREL member in Sri Lanka, the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), published their election observation report for the 2019 Sri Lankan Presidential Election. CMEV said the report provides an overview of the election, key election features and trends including election
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) observed a mock polling station set up by the Election Commission (EC) of Sri Lanka at the Menerigama Primary School in Kalutara District on 14 June 2020. These are photos of what ANFREL observed about measures and precautions voters might expect on Election Day. The
The ANFREL program in Myanmar together with the New Myanmar Foundation (NMF) conducted a four-day online training on election monitoring from 9 to 12 June 2020. This was part of ANFREL's capacity building program for National Election Monitoring Organizations (NEMG) which promote citizen election observation in Myanmar. Twenty participants were selected for
The world is looking at the successful conduct of the parliamentary election in South Korea as a case study in organizing elections amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), with the Asia Democracy Network (ADN), Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB), and the Korea Democracy Foundation co-organized on
Press Release Phnom Penh, 04 June 2020 The Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (COMFREL) annually observes on voter registration and audits Voter List. Through its observation and audit, COMFREL deployed observers to the registration stations and examined the official voter list to indicate duplicated and ghost voter names to
ANFREL and six domestic election observation groups, including our members PAFFREL and CMEV, release today the “COVID-19 Code of Conduct for Election Observers” ahead of the 2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary elections. This document is a joint initiative from organizations both domestic and international intending to observe the parliamentary elections of Sri Lanka.
ANFREL member in Maldives, the Transparency Maldives, explained the constitutional crisis brought about by the delay in the conduct of the Local Council Elections. The elections, which were supposed to take place on 4 April 2020, was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The delay, however, meant that the legal terms of
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is hosting a series of online training sessions for journalists in Myanmar on reporting elections to prepare them for the anticipated 2020 General Election. ANFREL, in cooperation with the Myanmar Press Council (MPC), kicked off its “Training of Trainers Program for Journalists in Myanmar on
The Sri Lanka Parliamentary Election was scheduled to be held on 25 April 2020 but was postponed due to the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is a timeline of the events that transpired in the last few months regarding the election and COVID-19 crisis situation in the country:
First published on the Daily Mirror on 7 May 2020 By Tharindu Abeyrtahna Despite the fact that electoral democracy in Sri Lanka faced many challenges in pre and post-independence eras, the country has managed to conduct periodical elections in national level. Sri Lanka known as the oldest democracy in Asia and it
The confidence in the government and the electoral system of Bangladesh continue to decline as lack of interest in the local elections held in the first quarter of 2020 amid the rampant fraudulent activities was observed, human rights organization Odhikar said in their 2020 first quarter report. "Several by-elections of the Jatiya
South Korean health authorities said there were no recorded local transmission from the conduct of the parliamentary election. Here are the safety measures South Korea implemented to make the 15 April 2020 election possible despite the threat of COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the election cycle in many countries as much
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) Myanmar program is now even more connected as it launched its website which will serve as a platform to better engage election stakeholders in Myanmar. Access Myanmar-related news and updates via the website (https://myanmar.anfrel.org/mm) which is also available in English (https://myanmar.anfrel.org/en). One of the key
With Indonesia postponing the local elections scheduled for 23 September 2020 to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, several election civil society organizations recommended factors to consider on declaring election postponements. Election CSOs composed of ANFREL members Perludem and KIPP Indonesia (Independent Committee for Elections Monitoring Indonesia), with the People's Voter
The Election Commission of Sri Lanka has set 20 June 2020 as the new date for the Parliamentary Election. It was originally scheduled for 25 April 2020 but was postponed due to the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. ANFREL member in Sri Lanka, the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) , published
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the everyday life of people around the world affecting their livelihood and restricting freedoms they enjoy. Several countries have also postponed their scheduled elections in light of the current situation but on 15 April 2020, South Korea proceeded with its legislative election in what the world now
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) published the first edition for 2020 of its quarterly newsletter e-Bulletin. In this issue, ANFREL highlights the discussion on elections in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. ANFREL, in a statement, expressed concern and regarded the postponements of elections as reasonable measures, "as long as
UPDATE: The "Reporting on Elections: A Toolkit for Journalists in Myanmar" is also available through an interactive online platform hosted under ANFREL Myanmar program's website which can be accessed here: https://myanmar.anfrel.org/en/media-toolkit/about-the-toolkit The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) released its media toolkit titled "Reporting on Elections: A Toolkit for Journalists in Myanmar"
27 March 2020 As the world continues to face the severe outbreak of COVID-19, states across Asia are taking measures to tackle the epidemic and protect the health of their population, which is obviously the foremost concern. At the same time, while everyday life is disrupted, elections and democratic processes are also
The 2020 Taiwanese General Election was conducted smoothly and transparently, the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) found in their study mission saying it demonstrated the robust democracy that Taiwan has become. On 11 January 2020, over 19 million registered voters of the Republic of China (also referred to as Taiwan) went
Statement to commemorate International Women's Day Dhaka: March 06, 2020 Odhikar is observing International Women’s Day on 8th March 2020, with deep concern, as women in Bangladesh are subjected to unchecked, widespread gender-based violence. Domestic abuse against women are a routine phenomenon and forms of discrimination against them are prevalent in every
ANFREL is looking for a dynamic person to fill the new position of Logistic Officer for ANFREL Myanmar Program. The Logistic Officer will work with ANFREL’s team in Myanmar in supporting activities for all programs and ahead of the upcoming general elections. The Logistic Officer will be tasked with the following: -
Statement of the Free and Fair Election Forum of Afghanistan (FEFA) on the final result of the 2019 Afghan Presidential Election Finally, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) could announce final results of the 2019 Afghan presidential elections with 5 months delay. It was expected that all electoral tickets accept the final election
19 February 2020 Kabul: Election is not necessarily a win and lose game, but a holistic process that should be entirely lawful, as its results are embraced merely when electoral processes are chiefly characterized by lawfulness, that in turn helps in forming a legitimate state. The final results of the 2019 Presidential
While the State's obligation to ensure accommodation and assistance for persons with disabilities (PWDs) to vote is guaranteed under the law in Thailand, the right of PWDs to participate in all aspects of the election is yet to be realized. This is what the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) found in
First published on the website of TEFA on 17 February 2020. Exactly 13 days have passed since the initial announcement of ECC’s decisions were made over adjudication of electoral complaints, and IEC too, on its part, embraced ECC’s call, acted accordingly, and began carrying out their decisions; however, TEFA’s observation findings highlight
[rev_slider alias="2020-02-14"] The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) showcased its various efforts to advance electoral #democracy in Asia, especially in Myanmar, during the celebration of the annual Nordic Day in Myanmar last Friday, 14 February 2020. The Embassy of Sweden Section Office in Yangon, Embassy of Denmark in Myanmar, Embassy
First published on the website of FEFA on 5 February 2020. Addressing the electoral complaints entered a new phase by the announcement of ECC’s decisions about the complaints. FEFA (Free and Fair Election Forum of Afghanistan) appreciate the ECC for its efforts to ensure the electoral justice and keeping its impartiality and
5 February 2020 Announcement of the preliminary and final results of the 2019 election was contingent upon the final work of ECC, and finally as of yesterday, this commission managed to openly share on its works. For over a month, all election stakeholders were desperately waiting to know about ECC's final decision;
