Following accreditation by the Union Election Commission, The Carter Center is launching an international election observation mission to Myanmar’s November 8 general elections, according to the center.
The observation mission, led by Sean Dunne, is composed of a core team of six experts and 24 long-term observers. Because of the exceptional circumstances created by COVID-19 travel restrictions, several core team experts are currently working remotely, and Myanmar nationals will serve as long-term observers. The monitoring and reporting activities of the long-term observers will be overseen and managed by the international core team experts.
Subject to COVID-19 restrictions, the long-term observers will deploy in teams of two to Myanmar’s states and regions to gather data for further analysis. Adhering to national COVID-19 regulations and guidelines, team members will engage with key election stakeholders, including the election commission and its subcommissions, political parties and candidates, civil society organizations, domestic observer groups, the international community, and media representatives.
The mission will assess electoral preparations and the electoral environment, including election administration, campaigning, the openness of political space, participation of women and ethnic minorities, social media, the impact of COVID-19 on the electoral process, and other issues. If travel and security conditions permit, the mission will be joined by a delegation of short-term observers who will help assess the voting, counting, and tabulation processes.
The Carter Center will assess the electoral process based on Myanmar’s national legal framework and principles for democratic elections set out in regional and international agreements. The Center previously observed general elections in Myanmar in 2015. It has observed 111 elections in 39 countries and conducts its observation missions in accordance with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and Code of Conduct for International Election Observers.
