November 06, 2020

Holding a free and fair election reflects upon the dignity of the country and the people.

Free and fairness are the basic principles of an election, and participating in elections and voting are the rights of the people.

The UEC is committed to holding the 2020 general elections meeting its five standards; freedom of choice, fairness, transparency, accessibility and compatibility of public desire with the result of election.

It is perfectly true that there are challenges for Myanmar, which is a developing country, as it seeks to hold flawless general elections. The country can provide all that is needed for holding the general elections, but the integrity and morality of the political parties depend on the parties themselves.

We are very sorry for those people who cannot vote in the 2020 General Elections, since the general elections have been cancelled in their areas due to security concerns.

In this case, ethnic armed organizations are urged to cooperate in bringing peace to the conflict areas, which will guarantee free, fair and secure general elections, to ensure that those living in conflict areas are enfranchised as soon as possible.

The public is also urged to be on alert to hindrances happening during the election period that might disrupt the 2020 General Elections.

A free and fair election does not depend only on voting rights, but also people’s participation and the right of the freedom of expression and freely receiving information. Only then can the public exercise its power by voting for public policies they want to see enacted.

The UEC alone cannot make the general elections a success. Only with the participation of the people, and stake holders including the media and political parties can these things be achieved.

In any democracy, citizens have the fundamental right to free and fair elections, with their votes counted in a transparent and credible manner, as political parties and candidates have the right to compete in elections without harassment or intimidation.

To be free and fair, it is important to prevent disinformation, hate speech and incitement, as elections must be removed from social media and online platforms in a timely manner by authorities.

No one should be above the law regarding elections, and enforcement should be tightened to prevent violations of the law.

Also, educating the people is a must, as part of efforts to prevent disinformation and hate speech against women candidates.

GNLM