Statement: Timor-Leste’s 2022 Polls: Upholding Commitment to Democracy, a model for Asian countries to follow

For Immediate Release
Seoul, South Korea
April 26, 2022
 
The Asia Democracy Network (ADN), on behalf of its pro-democracy civil society members all over Asia, congratulates the people of Timor Leste for the successful conduct of their Presidential Election which were held on March 19 (first round) and April 19 (Second round). While the process was held under the backdrop of the Covid-19 Pandemic, observers, both civilian- and foreign government-led, saw the elections as generally smooth, peaceful, and orderly. Despite being the  youngest democracy in the region, Timor Leste has once again proven its commitment to uphold the democratic transfer of power in a competitive  manner, cognizant and protective of the people’s fundamental rights, and conducted through a pandemic resilient process. Such a conducive environment was rewarded with  a high voter turnout of more than 75%, which shows the people’s trust in the important political process.

With the success of these polls, ADN calls the other countries in Asia and beyond to follow Timor-Leste’s good example of overcoming challenges posed by the pandemic and upholding the pro-democratic agenda as a government priority. This includes holding the election on time, putting necessary measures to protect the polls’ sanctity, and allowing full participation of the citizens in a safe manner. We highlight this critical matter as there are attempts to postpone elections while citing the pandemic as an excuse. This trend poses the danger of increasing control and manipulation by the ruling parties over crucial political processes in some Asian countries. We further urge the authorities to fulfill their obligation to ensure  democratic elections and encourage the people to protect the sanctity of the vote. 

Cambodia and Myanmar are among the countries scheduled to hold the national and local elections within 2022-2023, both of which face doubts in terms of electoral integrity . It is essential for international stakeholders to call  on the Cambodian authorities to enable a competitive multi-party system and fear-free public participation in the process. Meanwhile, in Myanmar, we urge the global democratic institutions to dissociate themselves from the process to prevent the legitimization of the controlled elections by the Junta. International democratic forces should work to protect the polls and other political processes. 

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