Community Groups Form Election Monitoring Network

Three Burmese civil society groups have joined together to form a monitoring network for the April 1 by-elections.

The 88 Generation Students group, Generation Wave and New Burma Network are all involved with participants including journalists, politicians and activists who will scrutinize the upcoming ballot.

The network will observe the ballot and provide information on the different locations from the election eve until the polling stations close. They will then release their analysis after the event, according to a statement released on Friday.

Zaw Min, one of the leading members of the network, told The Irrawaddy that “we intend to form this network to fight for fairness, freedom and transparency. We want to find out what the standards of the election are compared to international standards.

“We don't intend to oppose any particular party but just to determine if the poll is free and fair based on a democratic system.”

The network boasts many individuals who participated in observing the 2010 general election. They have now been dispatched to the 48 different districts being contested, a press conference at the 88 Generation Students group headquarters in Rangoon's Thingangyun Township was told on Friday.

The Burmese government has invited the United States to send two election representatives and three journalists to observe the by-election. Naypyidaw has also asked other nations, including from Europe and 23 representatives from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, to witness the poll.