Between 13 and 26 November in Bangladesh, a series of significant political events unfolded, including the announcement of the election schedule for the upcoming election, reflecting the country's tense and dynamic political climate. The period began with the police filing a case against two deceased BNP leaders for violence on October 29.1
Political tensions, rallies, arrests, and the beginning of violent clashes between the Awami League (AL), the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and law enforcement were observed from 16 to 29 October 2023. The United States (US) emphasised the need for a dialogue among the political parties to ensure a free, fair and participatory
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is publishing a biweekly briefer called "Bangladesh in Focus" which sheds light on the situation in Bangladesh. "Bangladesh in Focus" seeks to raise awareness on the political situation and electoral environment in the country. Summary (2-15 October 2023) Between the 2nd and 15th of October,
Article 4 of the Constitution of the Republic of Maldives stipulates that the power of the State of the Maldives is derived from and remains with the people. Article 262 (b) of the Constitution further stipulates that amendments proposed to Chapter II of the Constitution (The Maldivian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,
Maldives headed to a runoff election on 30 September 2023 after no presidential candidate was able to secure enough votes to win. Transparency Maldives (TM) said the election was relatively peaceful with a few isolated cases of reported violence at polling stations. TM observed a few number of voters weren't able to
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) welcomes the announcement by YB Dato' Seri Azalina Othman Said that the Cabinet has agreed to the enactment of the Political Financing Act. During her speech in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, Azalina says that the Cabinet had referred seven policy parameters to the Parliamentary
NAMFREL is issuing this statement firstly, to clarify its position on the issues raised and, secondly, to give its point of view on the very serious allegation of fraud attending the 2022 National and Local Elections. As Bantay ng Bayan torchbearers, NAMFREL provides a thoughtful and objective analysis of the allegations as
As Maldives is set to hold a presidential election on 9 September 2023, ANFREL member Transparency Maldives released their pre-election assessment to provide recommendations to mitigate challenges for holding free, fair, and credible election. The assessment report seeks to review the electoral legal framework, understand emerging challenges for holding a free and
First published on CCW's website It has been over fifteen years since the last comprehensive revision of the “Political Donations Act” in Taiwan, and there are many legal loopholes that prevent the public from accurately tracking the flow of political donations. Citizen Congress Watch (CCW) has put forth four key areas for
The National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) gathered over 90 represetatives of civil society organizations, the academe, political parties, electoral reform advocates and the media on 26 May 2023 to discuss how to enhance the automated election system (AES) for the 2025 national and local elections in the Philippines. The NAMFREL
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
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 Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) welcomes the formation of the 10 Parliamentary Special Select Committees (PSSC) that were approved in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday. Each PSSC will comprise 9 Members of Parliament (MPs) including the Chairman. The 10 PSSCs are: 1) Finance and Economy2) Security3) Health4) Domestic Trade, Entrepreneurship,
ANFREL member in the Philippines, the National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), said the special election in Cavite on 25 February 2023 was peaceful and smooth but the voter turnout was low. In two updates released on Election Day, NAMFREL said that the electoral process was peaceful and smooth in the
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
Parties Need to Agree on Regulating Political Finance, Refining Results Management, Devising Mechanisms for Overseas Voting, and Catering to Representativeness Issues In Elections ISLAMABAD, January 27, 2023: Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) calls upon the political parties to immediately initiate a comprehensive dialogue on addressing the weaknesses in the existing legal
The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), together with the Gender and Election Working Group (GEWG), conducted a press conference on 09 January 2023 to request all political parties to ensure better representation and safer participation for women in Local Government Elections. D.M. Dissanayake, Chief of Operation, CMEV stated that Sri Lanka
Transparency Maldives calls on the State to stop the abuse of State resources and uphold the integrity of election and ensure a free and fair electoral process. The abuse of State resources can be a corruptive force in the electoral process, as it introduces or exacerbates power inequalities and gives unfair advantage
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
The Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) welcomes the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) planned activities for 2023 as discussed during its press briefing today, January 3, 2023. The press briefing touched on matters and updates regarding the ongoing voter registration and the Register Anywhere Project (RAP) as well as the possible addition
Century Park Hotel, Manila, December 10, 2022 - The Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) gathered various election stakeholders at Century Park Hotel, Manila during its MOVE! A Colloquium on Electoral Reforms from December 8-10, 2022 to revisit longstanding and emerging electoral issues, and discuss possible solutions for such. True to its
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
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) participated in a discussion on how disinformation affects elections at the Indonesia Fact Checking Summit on 30 November 2022. ANFREL program officer for outreach and communication and media program coordinator John Reiner Antiquerra shared insights on disinformation during elections based on ANFREL's observation of polls
Centre for Monitoring Election Violence and Janavaboda Kendraya conducted a one-day discussion with youths, women and members of PWD organisations on the impact of the unavailability of Campaign Finance regulations for women, youth and PWDs participation in politics in Sri Lanka on November 19, 2022, at Janavaboda Kendraya. Empowering youth, women and
BERSIH calls upon the Election Commission (EC) and the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) to publish their Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on Voting amidst Floods (UndiBanjir). The EC’s special meeting tomorrow (20 October) to decide on nomination and poling days must also cover the contingency plan to prevent unintended vote suppression caused
In the third quarter of 2022, the Asian Network for Free Elections released observation report on Philippine and Nepali elections, launched the Asian Media Fellowship on Election Reporting, and engaged with various electoral stakeholders. ANFREL released the final comprehensive report of its international election observation mission to the 2022 national and local
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) strongly condemns the latest conviction of Myanmar’s ousted leaders Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint on alleged election fraud charges with a three-year jail sentence. With the latest sentencing, Aung San Suu Kyi now faces a total of 20 years in prison after being
ANFREL Executive Director Chandanie Watawala spoke to 39 international relations students from the University of Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta on Friday, 26 August 2022, about today's challenges to democracy in Asia.
We, young NAMFREL members, urge Congress to allow the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) to push through on December 5, 2022. In a democratic state such as the Philippines, the will of the people should always be heeded in the way they are governed. Based on Article II, Section 1 of
The General Elections Observation Committee (GEOC) in Nepal released the final report of their observation mission to the 13 May 2022 local elections. GEOC, a network of 11 organizations, said there was “appropriate management” of polling areas with separate queues for men and women and support facilities for persons with disabilities which