Electoral monitoring bodies can help legitimise and improve a country’s election process, said Asian Network for Free Elections (Anfrel) chairperson Dammy Magbual.

"Election monitoring organisations have greatly contributed to bringing about better quality and greater transparency to the election process.

"Another contribution from election observation groups is that when (they) work together with election management bodies, then you can come up with a more credible (electoral process) with greater legitimacy and acceptance," Magbual said.

Magbual was speaking at a conference on democracy in Southeast Asia held by Suhakam and the Kofi Annan Foundation in Kuala Lumpur today.

He was one of three speakers at the panel titled "How can election management bodies build trust and legitimacy in the political process?".

Election observers can also increase confidence in the election process and help candidates better accept electoral results, he said.

Electoral monitoring groups, he explained, can submit recommendations to the relevant authorities after observing an election.

This, in turn, can help election management bodies improve the electoral process.

Unfortunately, he said, not all election management bodies are open to working with electoral observation groups as there is a level of mistrust.

However, he insisted, if all stakeholders, including electoral management bodies and electoral observation groups, are able to work together as allies instead of viewing each other as adversaries, they can help make the election process more binding and legitimate.

Anfrel is a regional network of Asian civil society organisations headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand. It runs direct electoral observations programs and conducts research on electoral reform. 

Meanwhile, a commissioner from Indonesia's Election Commission Hasyim Asy'ari explained how the electoral process works in his country.

Unlike other countries, he said Indonesia has three electoral management bodies with different functions.

Not only that, all the electoral management bodies are independent, and are institutionally separate from the executive branch of government.

They are also able to gain the people's trust by being open and transparent with their processes, he said.