The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) extends its congratulations to the people of Timor-Leste, as well as the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (STAE) and the National Elections Commission (CNE) for successfully conducting the 2023 parliamentary elections that were marked by peace, genuineness, and transparency. For the 2023 Timor-Leste parliamentary elections,
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) members selected a new set of Executive Council officers and members during the General Assembly held in Bangkok, Thailand on 18 May 2023. The following are the new officers and members of the ANFREL Executive Council who will serve a three-year term: • Chairperson: Rohana
The people of Timor-Leste head to the polls for the 2023 Parliamentary Elections today, 21 May 2023. The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) deployed five teams of international election observers to monitor the elections including polling and vote tabulation processes. ANFREL wishes the people of Timor-Leste safe and peaceful elections. This
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) deployed five international election observers in Timor-Leste to monitor the 2023 Parliamentary Elections. The election observers have been interviewing various stakeholders and observing election-related activities including preparations and campaign rallies. On Election Day, 21 May 2023, ANFREL will observe polling and vote tabulation processes. This
On May 14, 2023, over 39 million Thai people headed to the polls in the country’s largest democratic exercise ever. We salute the strong turnout of around 75% in spite of extreme heat and sometimes heavy rain, and congratulate the Election Commission of Thailand for a peaceful and orderly Election Day that
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) expresses deep concern over the disqualification of the Candlelight Party from contesting in the upcoming general election in Cambodia scheduled for July 2023. This decision by the National Election Committee (NEC) further undermines the democratic process in the country and denies the Cambodian people’s right
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) deployed 41 election observes across Thailand for the 2023 general election. ANFREL election observers, who are duly accredited by the Election Commission of Thailand, are monitoring the campaign period, advance voting, and preparations for the polls in 52 out of the 77 provinces in the
Download the open letter here: Open Letter: 413 Civil Society Call on Timor-Leste to Retract Invitation to Illegal 'Myanmar Election Agency' His Excellency Dr. Jose Ramos-HortaPresidentDemocratic Republic of Timor-Leste Open Letter: 413 civil society call on Timor-Leste to retract invitation to illegal “Myanmar Election Agency” 7 April 2023 Dear Mr. President: The
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
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) trained 35 leaders of election observer groups in Timor-Leste in preparation for the upcoming parliamentary elections. The ANFREL ToT for Domestic Observers in Timor-Leste, held from 31 March to 1 April 2023 in Dili, sought to mentor the participants on training their members about election
Media Statement30 March 2023 The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) strongly condemns the Myanmar junta’s mass dissolution of political parties in Myanmar, including the National League for Democracy (NLD), which has been at the forefront of democratic aspirations of the people of Myanmar. The move by the junta is another blatant
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) organized a training of trainers workshop for national election monitoring groups in Thailand on 25-26 March 2023. Ahead of the upcoming general election, ANFREL gathered in Bangkok, Thailand about 40 leaders of election observer groups in Thailand to mentor them on training their members about
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) Executive Council officers and members gathered in Bangkok, Thailand on 20 March 2023 for the regular council meeting. The ANFREL Secretariat, led by Executive Director Chandanie Watawala, presented ANFREL's programs in 2022 and the outlook for 2023. The Executive Council reaffirmed ANFREL's commitment to push
March 15, 2023 - We, as representatives of parliamentary monitoring organizations participating in the Parliament Openness and Monitoring Forum held in Taiwan in March 2023, we deeply recognize the importance of parliamentary monitoring, especially as many countries are facing the threat of democratic regression. We believe that parliamentary monitoring organizations play a
March 8 is International Women's Day. It is commemorated to celebrate the gains in advancing women's rights as well as shed light on the issues and challenges they encounter including participation and engaging in politics and governance. The Inter-Parliamentary Union, in their "Women in Parliament in 2022" report, found that while women's
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
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
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) submitted to the UN Human Rights Committee election-related issues concerning human rights in Sri Lanka ahead of the country's ICCPR review on 8-9 March 2023. ANFREL said the postponement of the local government elections due to the COVID-19 pandemic raised concerns about its legitimacy given
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is deeply concerned by the numerous attempts to disrupt the long overdue local elections in Sri Lanka. The local elections were supposed to be held on 20 March 2022 and have been postponed for almost a year by the Minister of Provincial Council and Local
Phnom Penh, February 13, 2023 – We, the undersigned media and civil society organizations, are deeply disturbed by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s order to revoke the license of Voice of Democracy (VOD), one of the last remaining independent media outlets in Cambodia. We also condemn the recent sexual harassment and intimidation of
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) condemns the shutdown of the Voice of Democracy (VOD) in Cambodia today, a blatant attack on media freedom and a gross violation of the Cambodian people’s right to access information. Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered the revocation of the license of the country’s one of
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) said the 20 November 2022 Nepalese Federal and Provincial Assembly Elections were largely peaceful and orderly but significant inclusion of women and other vulnerable sectors could be improved. ANFREL said in the final comprehensive report of their international election observation mission to the 2022 Nepalese
We, the undersigned organizations specializing in election observation, electoral and democracy assistance, committed to the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation1 and to upholding the integrity and credibility of such endeavours, denounce and distance ourselves from the sham “election” that the illegal and illegitimate military junta of Myanmar, the State Administrative
The Asia Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) and members People's Action for Free & Fair Elections (PAFFREL) and Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) filed a joint submission to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the fourth periodic report of Sri Lanka at the 42nd session of the Universal Periodic Review
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is concerned with the recent arrest of Candlelight Party's Thach Setha in Cambodia.
ANFREL released the interim report of its observation of the 2022 Nepal elections, took in 10 journalists from Asia as media fellows, and welcomed new team members during the last quarter of 2022. Four teams of international election observers were deployed in Nepal for 10 days to monitor electoral processes. Nepal held
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) welcomes the addition of two new team members who will be contributing to ANFREL's mission of advancing electoral democracy in Asia. Ain Nesiehah is ANFREL's new program officer for capacity building who will be working on ANFREL's training programs and workshops for our members and
ANFREL member in the Philippines, the National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) observed a plebiscite on 17 December 2022 seeking the conversion of the municipality of Baliwag, Bulacan into a component city. NAMFREL said the process went smoothly and peacefully with no untoward incident observed. The closing and counting processes were
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) attended the implementation meeting of the Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM) Declaration of Principles (DoP) for International Election Observation from 6 to 8 December 2022, in Brussels, Belgium. ANFREL executive director Chandanie Watawala also spoke on cooperation among international and non-partisan citizen observer
ANFREL senior program officer for capacity building and international election observation Amaël Vier participated in a panel discussion on citizen mobilization and election observation at the "MOVE! A Colloquium on Electoral Reforms" on 9 December 2022. The three-day event held from 8 to 10 December 2022 was hosted by ANFREL member in