ECN, ANFREL to host over 200 electoral stakeholders in Kathmandu, Nepal for sixth Asian Electoral Stakeholder Forum

Over 200 electoral stakeholders representing Asian election management bodies (EMBs), election observer groups, think tanks, among others, are gathering in Kathmandu, Nepal from 6 to 7 December 2023 for the sixth Asian Electoral Stakeholder Forum (AESF-VI). The Election Commission, Nepal (ECN) and the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) are co-hosting AESF-VI,

Bangladesh in Focus: An ANFREL Biweekly Election Update (13 – 26 November 2023)

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

Reforms at Snail’s Pace: First Year Assessment of the Unity Government on Electoral and Institutional Reforms, 2022-2023

The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) congratulates the Unity Government for some of the institutional reforms carried out in its first year and urges for more as promised by the respective coalitions and parties in the government, in particularly Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional. We opined that a post-election coalition

Bangladesh in Focus: An ANFREL Biweekly Election Update (30 October – 12 November 2023)

In recent events in Bangladesh, the political landscape has been marked by escalating tensions and crackdowns between the ruling Awami League (AL) and opposition parties, primarily the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The AL has pledged to resist what it perceives as 'anarchy' instigated by the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami.1 Meanwhile, the Election Commission

Monitoring Efforts of LENTE in Ensuring Accountability for the 2023 Barangay and SK Elections

October 30, 2023, Quezon City. The Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) continues to observe election day processes focusing on Accountability issues of vote buying, abuse of state resources, and election-related violence. For this 2023 BSKE, we saw how impactful COMELEC's aggressive campaign against election law violators vis-a-vis candidates' compliance with election

Developments in the Focused Monitoring Efforts of LENTE for Vulnerable Sectors for the 2023 Barangay and SK Elections

October 30, 2023, Quezon City. The Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) continues to observe election day processes, with particular focus on the voting experiences of Persons with Disability (PWD), Older Persons (OP), Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL), and Indigenous Peoples (IPs). Voting of Persons with Disability, Older Persons, and Heavily pregnant

NAMFREL releases preliminary observations on the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE)

NAMFREL Bantay ng Bayan UPDATE #1October 30, 2023, 12:30pm The National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) released its preliminary observations on the conduct of the October 30, 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE). NAMFREL has been accredited by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) as citizens' arm for the 2023 BSKE,

Persons with Disabilities, Older Persons, and Heavily Pregnant Women avail of Early Voting hours and Mall Voting; LENTE observes incidents of unlawful electioneering and illegal assistance of watchers, deviation from election day procedures as BSKE polls open

October 30, 2023, Quezon City. As early as 4:00 AM, the Legal Network for Truthful Election's 1,000 election observers nationwide proceeded to their assigned voting centers to observe the preliminaries to voting, the opening of polls, and the implementation of COMELEC innovations. Early Voting in Naga City & Muntinlupa City In Naga

ANFREL submission to the 46th Session of the Universal Periodic Review Working Group on Cambodia

The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) filed a submission to the United Nations Human Rights Council on the situation in Cambodia ahead of the 46th session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group. ANFREL's submission is based on the pre-election assessment missions it conducted during the 2022 Commune and Sangkat

LENTE’s Statement on Abuse of State Resources (ASR) Monitoring during the Election Period for BSKE 2023

October 18, 2023, Quezon City. Since 28 August 2023, the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) has been monitoring electoral activities for the upcoming Barangay and SK Elections (BSKE). This is a component of a pioneering initiative to analyze how incumbent officials use state resources for their electoral advantage, affecting the standard

Press Statement: A referendum should be guided by a well-informed electorate, not short-term political expediency!

On 20 September 2023, the People’s Majlis passed a resolution to direct the Elections Commission to hold a public referendum by 30 October 2023, on changing the existing system of government. The resolution was approved by 35 members, following the approval of the resolution by the Committee of the Whole House. Following

LENTE’s Statement on COMELEC Exemptions of Government Programs for the 2023 Barangay and SK Elections

15 September 2023, Quezon City. LENTE strongly urges the public to be vigilant of the politicization of programs and other social welfare services in view of the COMELEC’s recent decision to exempt DOLE and DSWD programs from poll spending ban. These programs, based on LENTE’s on-going in-depth research and monitoring, have historically

Transparency Maldives’ Interim Report on the 2023 Presidential Election

Transparency Maldives, in their interim statement on the 2023 Presidential Election, said the Election day processes went well but expressed some concerns about the election environment especially on abuse of state resources. Election Day The report indicated that the Election Day administration was well managed by the Elections Commission (EC). The opening

Transparency Maldives’ statement on the opening and closing of polls during 2023 Presidential Election

Transparency Maldives said in their initial observation statements that the 2023 Maldivian Presidential Election was generally peaceful and orderly. The opening procedure at polling stations went well with all polling stations open by 9 a.m. and 85% of polling stations open within the first 10 minutes of the required opening time. The

Another victory for democracy

The Speaker announces to the Parliament the Supreme Court decision on the petition against the amendment proposed to the Local Government Ordinance by Jayantha Katagoda MP. Today (8th August), the Speaker announced to the parliament the decision of the Supreme Court on the petition filed by PAFFREL and several other parties against

BERSIH and Astro Awani Launch the #VoteLokal #UndiLokal Campaign to Raise Voters Turnout for the Six State Elections

The Coalition for Clean and Fair Election (BERSIH), together with Astro Awani, is pleased to launch the #VoteLokal campaign for the upcoming six state elections (6PRN). The primary goal of the campaign is to raise voters turnout for the state elections. Historical data of state elections that are not held in conjunction

Call to Action on the 2025 Automated Election System in the Philippines

With the budget process for the 2025 Automated Election System (AES) scheduled to begin in July 2023 and procurement by 2024, the undersigned stakeholders call on the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to adopt for the 2025 Automated Election System (AES) the standards of transparency, cost-effectiveness, accessibility and inclusivity,reliability, security, safety, and fairness,

2023 Timor-Leste Parliamentary Elections: Celebrating Independence through Genuine Elections

The Asian Network for Free Elections said in their final comprehensive observation report on the 2023 Timor-Leste Parliamentary Elections that the polls were marked by peace, genuineness and transparency. ANFREL said the elections were participated by several political parties and saw a vibrant and peaceful election campaign environment with only a few

ANFREL e-Bulletin (April-June 2023)

ANFREL released its interim statement and report on the 2023 Thai General Election and 2023 Timor-Leste Parliamentary Elections while ANFREL member organizations selected a new set of officers and members to the ANFREL Executive Council during the second quarter of 2023. ANFREL conducted international election observation missions to the recently concluded elections

Panel Discussion: Unveiling Human Rights and Democracy Challenges in 2023 Cambodia General Election

Human rights advocacy groups are hosting a panel discussion about the 2023 Cambodian General Election on Wednesday, 5 July 2023. The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), Human Rights Watch (HRW), International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and FORUM-ASIA will discuss the human rights and democracy challenges ahead of the general election in

LENTE welcomes SC decision declaring unconstitutional the law postponing 2022 barangay, SK polls

Since May 2022, LENTE pushed for the conduct of the supposed December 2022 Barangay and SK Election (BSKE) and continuously stood firm against its postponement. LENTE welcomes the decision of the Supreme Court declaring Republic Act No. 11935* unconstitutional as well as the guidelines set by the court on future postponement of

ANFREL welcomes new batch of interns

The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) welcomed a new batch of interns from Taiwan and Myanmar. Three students of the Department of Global Politics and Economics in Tamkang University will be with ANFREL for a month as interns under the Global Service Internship Program while an international relations and development student

Press Statement: Transparency Maldives Pre-election interim assessment findings of the 2023 presidential election

Transparency Maldives released their findings of the pre-election interim assessment of the 2023 presidential election. The election is scheduled for 9 September 2023. Transparency Maldives (TM) is a non-partisan, non-governmental and non-profit organization. It has been the main domestic Elections Observer Group since 2008. Prior to fielding its nation-wide observation, TM conducts

NAMFREL gathers elections stakeholders to discuss enhancing automated election system for 2025 polls

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

EC Must Open Application for Postal Voting for the 6 State Elections Immediately

The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) calls on the Election Commission (EC) to immediately allow eligible voters to apply as postal voters for the upcoming state elections, namely Kedah, Kelantan, Penang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Terengganu. The EC need not wait until all the states have dissolved their respective state

ANFREL selects new executive council officers, members

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

Photos: ANFREL observes 2023 Timor-Leste Parliamentary Elections

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

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