In the run-up to Myanmar’s 2020 General Election, The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) and Democracy Reporting International (DRI) conducted a mapping study to assess the effective election observation, technical planning and fundraising capacities of civil society organisations (CSOs) in northern Shan State, southern Shan State, Kayah State, Rakhine State and Kachin State.
Especially ethnic minority states face challenges and need to build capacity on a variety of skills and knowledge required for sound electoral observation. General hurdles in election observation faced by CSOs included registration issues, lack of government cooperation, influence from religious leaders, as well as security threats. The assessment found that CSOs do not only require skills training in electoral observation but also capacity building to strengthen their technical knowledge in fields such as democracy, human rights, and voter education to allow them to successfully contribute to improving general public political literacy.
This publication was prepared under the European Union (EU) funded project ‘Support to Electoral Processes and Democracy – STEP II Democracy’ – which supports inclusive, peaceful and credible electoral processes, and enhances the capacity of stakeholders to strengthen the democratic transition in Myanmar.
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