Electoral Systems and Processes in Asia and the Pacific

In the Asia region, the ‘democratic experiment’ is increasingly taking hold in many countries. As part of this evolution, the holding of regular elections has become a featured stamp upon which progress of countries in becoming more ‘democratic’ is assessed. Elections are a primary means in  a democratic system, for all citizens to participate in decision-making,  and provides a critical link between citizens and their representatives. Nonetheless, the event of the election itself does not often fulfill the expectation of widening space for participation, dissent, better representation, and accountability.

UNDP recognizes the fundamental role that elections play in sustaining democratic institutions and democratic processes. Electoral assistance in this regard, that goes beyond the ‘ballot box’, has become a large part of UNDP technical development support. At the country-level UNDP Country Offices in the region are working extensively in supporting electoral system reform; strengthening electoral management bodies; fostering countries’ election planning, monitoring and budgeting capacity; and promoting civic and voter education.

The UNDP Regional Center in Bangkok supports electoral reform at national levels through technical policy advice, capacity building and training, among other areas. At the regional level, the focus centers on assessing electoral themes such as participation and representation through a cross-national lens. At present, the Asia Regional Governance Programme, UNDP’s flagship regional governance programme , is focusing on 3 themes:

• Electoral Violence and Dispute Resolutions in Asia;
• Lessons and Guidelines on Engagement with Political Parties in Asia;
• Women’s Political Participation (in conjunction with the UNDP Asia-Pacific Gender Mainstreaming Programme).