ASEAN Launches Election Observation Workshop Report

ASEAN

Jakarta, INDONESIA

Monday, 20th October 2015 

ASEAN, through the initiative of the Philippines and in cooperation with the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), launched the report on ASEAN Election Observation Workshop yesterday at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. A copy of the report was symbolically handed to H.E. Vongthep Arthakaivalvatee, Deputy Secretary-General for the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.

The report records the proceedings of the Election Observation Workshop held in Manila, Philippines on 24-25 June 2015. Officials of election management bodies and Ministries of Foreign Affairs of ASEAN Member States learned about election observation missions of various regional organizations like the Organization of  American States, the European Union and African Union in the workshop. Other stakeholders, including a civil society organization, also shared their experiences on election observation.

In his keynote speech, Dr. Nur Hassan Wirajuda, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia and a member of the Global Commission on Elections, Democracy and Security, International IDEA and Kofi Annan Foundation, underscored the core values of the ASEAN Political-Security Community -- promotion of democracy, rule of law, respect for human rights, good governance and peaceful conflict resolution. “I hope the report and recommendations of the workshop present a strategy that will deepen democracy and improve the integrity of national elections in ASEAN.”

Philippine Ambassador to ASEAN H.E. Elizabeth P. Buensuceso hailed the workshop, the first of its kind to ever be held in ASEAN, as an excellent example of how to realize a truly people-centered ASEAN which will be the focus of the ASEAN Vision 2025 - the new roadmap that will chart the direction of ASEAN in the next ten years. She said that the workshop underscored the symbiotic relationship of governments and civil society to enable them to deliver credible, satisfactory and legitimate election results for the benefit of the people. “Member States should consciously include and harness the valuable contribution that civil society can make in the common vision of ASEAN integration and community building,” she added.

For her part, Ms. Leena Rikkila Tamang, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, International IDEA said that “it is a fundamental principle of IDEA’s approach that building of democratic institutions within any community comes from within that community and cannot be imposed from outside, while the sharing of experience among peers can enrich and inform the process.”

Former Minister Nur Hassan Wirajuda, Ambassador Buensuceso, DSG Arthakaivalvatee, and Philippines Election Commissioner Luie Tito F. Guia officiated the event which was witnessed by members of the ASEAN Committee of Representatives, other Ambassadors and diplomats based in Jakarta, officials of the International IDEA, media and other civil society representatives. International IDEA, an intergovernmental organization that has engaged the ASEAN Secretariat through the Inter Regional Dialogue on Democracy, lent its expertise to the workshop. The Mission of the Republic of Korea to ASEAN provided support to the workshop. 

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Link to Remarks of Ambassador Elizabeth P. Buensuceso

Link to Remarks of Dr Hassan Wirajuda

Link to Remarks of Leena Rikkila Tamang

Link to Remarks of Mr. Sang-beom Lim

Report Highlights

• Respect to the state sovereignty, and adherence to the law of the host country, respecting the internationally recognised global standards for domestic election monitoring, and the global principles and codes of conduct for observers.
• Electoral integrity is a fundamental element of democracy; electoral observers can play a vital role, raising voter confidence, reassurance, providing credible and essential feedbacks before, during the elections, and after the elections are over.
• EMB independence, voter registration, media freedom, freedom of movement, women’s participation, access for disabled people, minority participation, and use of money in campaigns and political financing are all key issues which may be addressed during electoral cycle implementation and for recognition of credible elections by regional and international community.

Key recommendations

• Developing and strengthening ASEAN Network of Election Monitoring Bodies
• ASEAN EMBs, International IDEA and dialogue partners should open dialogue and engage the AMS High Level Task Force on ASEAN Community Vision 2025 to get election observation expressed within the ASEAN political cooperation agenda.
• Based on the tentative dates declared by various AMS, Myanmar General Elections on 8 November 2015, the Philippines Presidential and Vice Presidential Elections on 9 May 2016, Indonesian General Elections 2019, and Thailand General Elections sometime in 2017 (undecided) present opportunities to ASEAN and IDEA in putting together a regional framework for elections observation as trials and learning opportunities.
• Asian Engagement with other EMBs, IDEA could facilitate an Asia Regional experience sharing with other EMBs sometime in 2016, which could provide opportunity for the ASEAN region to both share and learn from other Asian experiences on election observation.
• Engaging ASEAN & Asian Civil Society, IDEA and ASEAN Secretariat can gradually facilitate the participation as dialogue partners of various groups working at regional, sub-regional and national level for the electoral rights of vulnerable groups, minorities, women, and physically challenged people, ensuring that the right to vote is upheld with the utmost respect by EMBs and the legal framework developed is reflective of the inclusive goal of the ASEAN Political Security Community.
• Resource persons encouraged ASEAN EMBs and host governments to be open to the possibility of having domestic and international election observation missions (EOMs) and not to view these missions as impinging on sovereignty and interfering in internal affairs of the state.