ASIAN NETWORK FOR FREE ELECTIONS (ANFREL) FOUNDATION

REGISTERED UNDER CIVIL AND COMMERCIAL CODE ACT OF THAILAND, REGISTRATION NO. 1690 (KOR TOR)
109 SUTHISARN WINICHAI RD., HUAYKWANG SAMSEN NOK, BANGKOK 10320 THAILAND
TEL: 66-2-2773627 FAX: 66-2-2762183
EMAIL: ANFREL@ANFREL.ORG WEB: WWW.ANFREL.ORG

Statement II on Pre-Election Environment

Pre-Election Activities in Myanmar are Undemocratic and Quite

Far from Meeting International Standards

6th November, 2010

Experts from the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) have expressed their
strong disappointment in the Myanmar November 7th, 2010 Election which is being
held through the use of force, fear and intimidation. People all over the country,
including the media, have completely lost their freedom of expression and
freedom of choice. Neither the poll preparation nor the election environment has
reached the international standards that are basic principles of democracy.

The SPDC, USDA, UEC and USDP should take responsibility for the failures of the
pre-election period, failures which undermine the credibility and transparency of
both the Polling Day and its electoral outcomes. UEC committees at all levels have
failed to provide correct and comprehensive information to all stakeholders,
especially voters. The examples of specific election commission negligence are
many. For example, the UEC has taken no action against the Ward/Township
Officials who campaign and show favor towards one specific party, threaten other
parties, and convince the voters to take part in advance voting before it’s
scheduled. No secrecy has been provided for advance voting on the 4th and 5th of
November and no one is aware of the procedures planned for the counting
process.

Excessive government and military control of all cities and villages, both ongoing
and in the past, has created a poor election environment because citizens do not
trust the government’s promotion of a supposedly democratic election. Many of
Myanmar’s people are sad and without hope when they consider the multiparty
election and its many irregularities and reports of cheating. As a result of this,
many people have chosen not to vote. They would prefer to not use their
franchise as a form of boycott against the election conditions.

ANFREL calls for an end to the rampant intimidation of voters and calls for the
neutrality of election officials and law enforcement. These officials must stop
citizens from engaging in proxy voting, multiple voting, and phantom voting. All
party agents and candidates who are inside polling stations must respect the rules
and have no influence on voters’ choices. All ward officials who have called voters
to vote in ways that violate advance voting regulations must be seriously punished
and a record should be made of their violations.

Attention to the Counting Process

Since there is no clear information regarding the counting process, the experts
have expressed their strong concern about the counting process after the poll

Afghanistan;
Afghanistan FEFA, Bangladesh;; FEMA, ODHIKAR, Cambodia;
Cambodia COMFREL, NICFEC, East Timor;; Women Caucus, Indonesia; KIPP, JPPR,
India;; LOKNITI, Japan; INTERBAND, Malaysia;
Malaysia NIEI, Mongolia;; Women for Social Progress (WSP), Nepal; NEOC, NEMA, Pakistan;
Pakistan HRCP,
FAFEN, Philippines;; IPER, PPCRV, NAMFREL, South Korea;; PSPD, Sri Lanka;
Lanka PAFFREL, Thailand; Poll Watch Foundation
For more detail visit www.anfrel.org
 ASIAN NETWORK FOR FREE ELECTIONS (ANFREL) FOUNDATION
REGISTERED UNDER CIVIL AND COMMERCIAL CODE ACT OF THAILAND, REGISTRATION NO. 1690 (KOR TOR)
109 SUTHISARN WINICHAI RD., HUAYKWANG SAMSEN NOK, BANGKOK 10320 THAILAND
TEL: 66-2-2773627 FAX: 66-2-2762183
EMAIL: ANFREL@ANFREL.ORG WEB: WWW.ANFREL.ORG

closing at 4 pm. All counting officials must monitor each others’ activities for
transparency and to eliminate ballot manipulation. The reconciliation of the
number of received ballot papers with the number of valid/invalid/spoiled/unused
ballot papers must be done openly. The counting of ballot papers from the
advance voting period should be done with stakeholders present to observe. The
UEC must inform the public of the number of ballot papers that they have from
formal advance voting. Ballot papers from illegal advanced voting must NOT be
counted. They must reconcile the number of all ballot papers to match the number
of voters in the voter list. They must inform the public of how they plan to ensure
that those who voted on advance voting days do not come to vote again on 7th
November, 2010 and how they will safeguard against those who have more than
one ID card being able to vote more than once. Without assurances of proper
procedures such as these, the legitimacy of the poll in the public’s eyes will suffer
even more.

Manipulation of Results

All 3 classes of ballots (Pyidaungsu Hluttaw and State/ Region Hluttaw) should be
counted openly and should not be counted in darkness or behind closed doors.
The UEC must prepare enough facilities ahead of time for this kind of transparent
counting process. No results should be changed while being delivered from polling
stations to the ward/township/regional level or from the state to national levels.
If there is strong evidence of cheating, manipulation, and/or fraud, the UEC should
begin an immediate investigation and call for new replacement polls in areas
where fraud tainted the first set of results.

Meanwhile those diplomats, media and International Organizations based in

Rangoon who are allowed to observe the elections should have the freedom to
choose and enter any polling station they wish without official escorts and should
be free to question poll officials and the UEC. While November 7th is the day that
polls will be held, it is not the only significant day for the election. Many major
problems have and will occur outside of the election’s scheduled day, both before
and after it.

The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) was established in 1997 as Asia’s first regional
network of civil society organizations to promote and support democratization and human
rights at national and regional levels in Asia. ANFREL has served towards strengthening the
democratization of countries such as Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, East Timor, Philippines, Afghanistan, Taiwan and Indonesia. ANFREL
has not sent observers to observe Myanmar’s November 7th 2010 Election.

Afghanistan;
Afghanistan FEFA, Bangladesh;; FEMA, ODHIKAR, Cambodia;
Cambodia COMFREL, NICFEC, East Timor;; Women Caucus, Indonesia; KIPP, JPPR,
India;; LOKNITI, Japan; INTERBAND, Malaysia;
Malaysia NIEI, Mongolia;; Women for Social Progress (WSP), Nepal; NEOC, NEMA, Pakistan;
Pakistan HRCP,
FAFEN, Philippines;; IPER, PPCRV, NAMFREL, South Korea;; PSPD, Sri Lanka;
Lanka PAFFREL, Thailand; Poll Watch Foundation
For more detail visit www.anfrel.org