ANFREL e-Bulletin (January-March 2023)

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

ANFREL concludes media fellowship on election reporting for Asian journalists

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

PROBE: The Budol Fight [Part 2]

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

PROBE: The Budol Fight [Part 1]

Auntie B, your aunt who first checks and verifies information online before sharing them, talks to her friends about the tactics of disinformation operators who tried to influence and sway voters during the 2022 elections in the Philippines. The first of a two-part series, "PROBE: The Budol Fight" is produced under the

East Timor: Fighting Confusion and Voter Disenfranchisement during Elections

By Cristiana Ximenes Belo In March and April 2022, Timor-Leste held its presidential elections using the two-round system. During this election period, the Secretariado Técnico de Administraçᾶo Eletoral (STAE) or the Technical Secretariat for Election Administration (TSEA in English) established three parallel voting centers (PVCs) in Dili, the country’s capital, with the

Harassment of women in politics on the rise

Election monitors and activists express concern that digital harassment of female politicians will increase when the local council elections campaign gets into full swing in the coming weeks. According to the preliminary results of a survey conducted by the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE), more than 70 percent of female

Registered, Not Represented: The Fate Of Pakistan’s Non-Muslim Voters

The current electoral system and the incentive structures it creates effectively disenfranchise Pakistan's non-Muslim voters As Pakistan gears up for general elections this year, the country’s religious minorities appear dejected over their parliamentary representation. Beset by a spate of issues ranging from underemployment, a dwindling population and undercounting to victimization at the

2023 Elections: Policy Advocacy for LGBTQIA+, Women, and Children or Just an Election-Campaign Scheme?

Story by Attachai Had-anCover illustration by Kittiya On-in In preparation for the upcoming election on May 7, 2023, “The Opener” has studied the spread of misinformation and how it might impair the quest for a free and fair election in Thailand. Lessons from the 2019 election campaign until now indicate that while

The Village In Punjab Where Women Are Forbidden From Voting

Tradition threatens electoral democracy and universal suffrage: not a single woman cast a vote in the 2018 General Elections in Mohri Pur First published on The Friday Times, "The Village in Punjab Where Women are Forbidden from Voting" (Urdu version) was produced under the ANFREL Asian Media Fellowship on Election Reporting. In

Call for Applications: ANFREL Asian Media Fellowship on Election Reporting

The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) media fellowship program is back and we’re expanding the program to include journalists from all over Asia. ANFREL is offering a series of intensive training sessions on reporting elections, democracy, and human rights as well as mentorship and financial support for innovative and impactful election-related

Snapshot: ANFREL Southeast Asia Media Fellowship on Election Reporting

The pilot ANFREL Southeast Asia Media Fellowship on Election Reporting recently concluded helping train six journalists from different countries in the region as well as develop and produce compelling stories that reflect and amplify the issues and challenges that electoral stakeholders face. Launched in August 2021 thanks to the generous support of

Myanmar’s junta switch to PR system beneficial only to them

First published on Burma Associated Press on 11 March 2022, "Myanmar’s junta switch to PR system beneficial only to them" was produced under the ANFREL Southeast Asia Media Fellowship on Election Reporting. The Myanmar military regime’s plan to switch to a proportional representation system for their planned election next year will not

More young people in Myanmar taking up arms

First published on the Bangkok Post on 28 February 2022, "More young people in Myanmar taking up arms" was produced under the ANFREL Southeast Asia Media Fellowship on Election Reporting. Young people in Mon State who not long ago were actively engaged in campaigning for elections in Myanmar have shifted from protesting

Thailand: Why do we have so few women in Parliament?

First published on workpointTODAY on 17 February 2022, "Thailand: Why do we have so few women in Parliament?" was produced under the ANFREL Southeast Asia Media Fellowship on Election Reporting. By Wasinee Pabuprapap Women have held leadership positions in different sectors of society in Thailand, even in public office but they remain

Elections during COVID-19: Reforms can cure ailing democracy

First published on Malaysiakini on 30 January 2022, "Elections during COVID-19: Reforms can cure ailing democracy" was produced under the ANFREL Southeast Asia Media Fellowship on Election Reporting. By Ng Xiang Yi The poor voter turnout in the Malacca (65.85 percent) and Sarawak (60.67 percent) state elections last year amid the Covid-19

Vietnam’s Festival of the People celebrates electoral failures

First published on Southeast Asia Globe on 2 December 2021, "Vietnam’s Festival of the People celebrates electoral failures" was produced under the ANFREL Southeast Asia Media Fellowship on Election Reporting. Trinh and her husband went to his family’s house in Hanoi’s Thanh Xuân district, where they lived before moving to a new

ANFREL Newsletter (July-September 2021)

ANFREL and A-WEB are co-hosting this year's Asian Electoral Stakeholder Forum (AESF) which will be conducted online on 20-21 October 2021. AESF is the largest gathering of electoral stakeholders in Asia. Working group meetings are being conducted ahead of the forum to discuss pressing electoral issues and devise solutions to address them.

Call for Applications: ANFREL SEA Media Fellowship on Election Reporting

The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), the leading election monitoring group in Asia, is proud to launch its pilot media fellowship on election reporting for Southeast Asian journalists. The fellowship program seeks to equip journalists from independent news outlets and freelance journalists in empowering the electorate through crucial reporting of underrepresented

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