Malaysians Deserve Better! Make Voting Easier for Out-of-Region and Overseas Voters The celebration of Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day this year is especially meaningful. As a nation, we have come of age. The weak institutions that allowed a Prime Minister to rob the nation of billions of Ringgits are being restored now
ANFREL member in Sri Lanka, the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) opened calls for applications from interested members of the youth to participate in a certificate course on Electoral Studies and Democracy Empowerment. CMEV is offering the course free of charge to members of the youth sector aged 18-35 years old
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
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) staunchly rejects the push by certain quarters in UMNO to have an early 15th General Election (GE15) to save kleptocrats from justice in court. BERSIH calls upon all parties to instead support a new convention of ‘fixed term parliament’ by allowing the 14th Parliament
NAMFREL repeats its call for the holding of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on 5 December 2022, as mandated under Republic Act No. 11462, and takes this opportunity to counter the arguments in favor of postponement as raised during the 16 August 2022 hearing of the House of Representatives Committee
In order for the Philippines to achieve its democratic aspirations, the festering systemic challenges of rampant vote buying, rule of political dynasties, and the widespread disinformation should be addressed, according to panelists of a forum that tackled pathways to strengthen democracy in the country. The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) hosted
The 2022 national and local elections in the Philippines were credible and genuine despite several lingering issues and challenges, said the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) in the final comprehensive report of their international election observation mission to the Philippine elections. ANFREL congratulated the electoral stakeholders in the country for the
In a report on its observation of the recently concluded resumption of voter registration, submitted to the COMELEC on August 10 and a copy of which was sent to the Senate and the House of Representatives, NAMFREL urges Congress to amend current laws or pass new laws to fundamentally change the country's
ISLAMABAD, August 7, 2022: Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) calls upon the Parliament and political parties to strengthen the regulations on political finance to curtail the role of money in elections that has practically deprived the majority of the population of exercising their right to contest elections. FAFEN urges the political
MANILA, Philippines – The Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) remains hopeful that the Senate and the House of Representatives would override President Bongbong Marcos’ decision to veto a bill exempting the honoraria, allowances, and other benefits of poll workers and staff from taxes. LENTE stood its ground by stating that the
Conclusive probe into claims of alleged rigging and bias must for integrity of elections ISLAMABAD, July 19, 2022: An impressive 49.7 percent turnout in the by-elections for 20 Punjab Assembly constituencies on July 17, 2022 augurs well for an otherwise struggling democracy in Pakistan. The election day remained largely orderly and well-managed,
NAMFREL releases to the public the Executive Summary to its Preliminary Report on the May 2022 National and Local Elections (NLE). The Report was submitted last month to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in compliance with the terms of NAMFREL’s accreditation as citizens’ arm. The Report is the result of NAMFREL’s monitoring
The Coalition of Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) calls on Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to advance an agenda of political transformation that can ensure political stability and accountability after GE15. The guessing game of GE15 is hurting the nation with not only uncertainty that affects decisions to be made in economy
Press ReleaseKathmandu, Nepal4 July 2022 The Election Commission, Nepal (ECN) and the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to co-host the sixth Asian Electoral Stakeholder Forum (AESF 6). The MoU, signed by ECN Joint Secretary Mr. Shaligram Sharma Paudel and ANFREL Executive Director Mrs. Chandanie
ANFREL member in the Philippines, the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) and other like-minded organizations launched a petition calling for the next Congress not to postpone the scheduled Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections. Sign the petition here. We amplify our call to the next Congress not to postpone the December 5,
The local level election held today has been completed largely peacefully and successfully apart from few sporadic incidents. There was encouraging participation by people with disability, senior citizens and members of all community, and gender. Compared to the past, the parties, candidates and voters all were more patient and peaceful. Except in
LENTE said they observed long queues, technical and non-technical issues, and unlawful electioneering as the 2022 Philippine national and local elections opened. LENTE asked COMELEC to reinforce that the use of phones, even if utilized as a voter’s “kodigo” inside the polling place, is not allowed. COMELEC earlier stated that the use
More than 65.7 million registered voters in the Philippines are invited to cast their vote for the national and local elections on 9 May 2022. The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) deployed election observation teams across the country to monitor the electoral process. Here are some photos that ANFREL observers have
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) launched today, 23 April 2022, its international election observation mission to the 2022 Philippine national and local elections with the deployment of six long-term observers and two electoral analysts. An additional four observers are expected to join the mission next week. ANFREL observers will be
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), in its final comprehensive report on its observation of the 2021 Tambon Administrative Organization (TAO) elections in Thailand, said the polls were more genuine and democratic in nature than the 2019 general election. ANFREL said the conduct of the first tambon elections since the 2014
International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8 every year around the world. The IWD 2022 campaign theme is "Break The Bias". Women have taken charge to advance the exercise of their civil and political rights in different aspects of everyday living but obstacles remain, limiting the progress of women to have
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
The National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) joins the urgent plea of different stakeholders for the appointment of competent and honest men and women in the three vacant positions -- that of the Chairperson and two Commissioners -- at the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), not only in a timely manner, but
The election campaign of national post candidates kick off today, 8 February 2022, in the Philippines. In an article by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) has reported, the candidates have already spent millions on political ads even before the official campaign period started. It is necessary for the media to
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is commemorating 25 years of advancing electoral democracy in Asia in 2022. In the last quarter of 2021, ANFREL organized the Asian Electoral Stakeholder Forum 5 where participants adopted the “AESF 5 Memorandum: The Way Forward for Elections Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic.” ANFREL also observed
Bangkok, 30 November 2021 Thailand held on Sunday 28 November 2021 its first tambon/sub-district administration organization (TAO) elections since the 2014 coup. This followed on provincial elections and municipal elections held in December 2020 and March 2021, respectively. ANFREL welcomes this long-overdue return to local democracy, congratulates the voters, the Election Commission
Myanmar’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi has denied two charges that she allegedly breached COVID-19 restrictions during the 2020 general election campaign. Four soldiers and a policeman involved in the raid of Aung San Suu Kyi's residence were cross-examined by her lawyers in the trial for illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies.
First published on LENTE's Facebook Page. The Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) participated as observers at the COMELEC’s Voting Simulation Exercise on 23 October 2021, in San Juan Elementary School to help ensure a safe, accountable, inclusive, transparent elections which will inspire national public confidence. The primary purpose of the simulation
The fifth Asian Electoral Stakeholder Forum (AESF 5) participants developed a memorandum which provides insights on the way forward for elections beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. As the COVID-19 pandemic compounded the already existing unprecedented attacks to democracy and the continuous backsliding of fundamental freedoms worldwide, AESF 5 gathered a diversity of election
The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) is pleased to welcome the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH 2.0) from Malaysia and the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) from the Philippines as new members of the ANFREL family. The ANFREL Executive Council during a special meeting on 5 October 2021
