Myanmar elections observation

Three members of the Australian Parliament will travel to Myanmar to observe the national elections on 8 November 2015.

Senators Dean Smith and Scott Ludlam and Ms Lisa Chesters MP will join Australian observation teams which also include officials from the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) and the Australian Embassy in Yangon.

The elections are an important milestone for Myanmar's democratic reform process and the international community's support and scrutiny will be vital to maximizing the chances of a positive outcome that reflects the will of the people of Myanmar.

The Myanmar Government's agreement to accept international election observers is a noteworthy departure from previous elections. Early estimates are that more than 1,000 international and 11,000 local observers will participate in the election observer effort.

Australia is providing $4.2 million to support what we trust will be a credible and inclusive election process.

This includes $3 million to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems to help strengthen the technical capacity and operational effectiveness of Myanmar's Union Election Commission (UEC) and $1 million for the AEC to improve the UEC's capacity to train poll workers.

It also includes $200,000 to assist the Asia Foundation in developing a smartphone app to make information on the election and candidates readily accessible.