Panel discussions and speakers for the fifth Asian Electoral Stakeholders Forum (AESF 5) was announced today, 13 October 2021. AESF 5, which will be hosted online this year on 20-21 October 2021, will hold four panel discussions on (1) addressing electoral challenges and democratic backsliding in Asia, (2) success stories of holding
First published here MANDALUYONG CITY (Sept. 28, 2021) — The National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) today, in a press briefing, laid out their planned activities for the 2022 National and Local Elections. NAMFREL said it aims to file this week with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) its Petition for Accreditation
Ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi pleaded ‘not guilty’ to incitement charges under Section 505b of the Penal Code According to her legal team and her economic adviser Sean Turnell, she appeared at the Dekkhinathiri District Court in Naypyitaw, along with three ousted Union ministers for the first time since their arrest
The junta will put ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi on a new trial on four charges of corruption beginning on Oct 1 in Naypyidaw, adding to the ongoing cases that could see her jailed for decades. The Special Court in Naypyidaw has set a date for the sentencing of three defendants,
The undersigned organizations express their concern about the rapidly unfolding developments occurring in Afghanistan, including the entrance of Taliban troops in the capital Kabul on 15 August in violation of their February 2020 agreement with the government of the United States of America, the exile of President Ashraf Ghani, and growing numbers
ANFREL member Transparency Maldives is calling for abstract submissions for the first issue of their new digest. Scheduled to be published in September 2021, the issue will be on "drivers and social problems that increase the vulnerabilities, especially of young people, and make them more susceptible to violent extremism and radicalization." Submissions
The Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw, staged a military coup on 1 February 2021, just before the new parliament elected through the 2020 General Elections was to convene. The coup triggered mass nationwide protests and a civil disobedience movement, causing over 900 people being killed and thousands being detained to date. On the
*UPDATE: The preregistration form is now closed. Please visit the Gwangju Democracy Forum website to know more how you can participate in the session. The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is hosting the session “Democracy under Restrictive Environment” in the 2021 Gwangju Democracy Forum (GDF) on 19 May 2021, 10 a.m.
On 30 June 2020, China unilaterally passed a sweeping National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong. What are the main issues with the NSL? How will it affect elections? ANFREL produced this set of infographics to present key issues with the NSL and how it affects freedoms in Hong Kong.
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is hosting an online discussion to launch its new book about the media’s reporting of elections in Asia on World Press Freedom Day, 3 May 2021 at 3 p.m. (Bangkok time). Titled “Media Reporting of Elections in Asia: Issues, Challenges and Lessons”, the book gathers
ANFREL, Asia Democracy Network (ADN) and the Migrant Forum in Asia are holding a stakeholders' strategic conversation on migrant workers' franchise rights on 22 April 2021, at 2-4 p.m. (Manila time) via online meeting platform Zoom. Invited panelists are Ellene Sana, executive director of Center for Migrant Advocacy in the Philippines, Wahyu
The first quarter of 2021 saw Myanmar's return to military rule with the Tatmadaw's staging of a coup which seized power from the civilian government on 1 February 2021. The Tatmadaw refused to recognize the legitimacy of the 2020 Myanmar General Elections and insisted on their election fraud allegations. The Asian Network
First published on MARUAH's website on February 11, 2021 MARUAH unequivocally condemns the military takeover of Myanmar on February 1, 2021. The Tatmadaw (military)overthrew the elected government of Myanmar, detained government leaders, civil service officers, activists, and human rights defenders, imposed a year-long Emergency on the country and has blocked intermittently access
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
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 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 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
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
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
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
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
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) observed the final mock polling station set up by the Election Commission of Sri Lanka at the President College Rajagiriya in Colombo on 24 June 2020. EC held a series of mock polls to test health and safety measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the
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.
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
