The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) appreciates the peaceful and transparent implementation of the 2022 Timor Leste Presidential Election with more than 70 percent of the voting right. However, ANFREL also noted the problem of implementing the Covid-19 health protocol and suffrage services.
"Most of the voters and many of the polling staff did not wear face masks as mandated, although this is the best way to curb transmission of the airborne virus." so ANFREL conveyed through a press release on March 21, 2022.
Other forms of Covid-19 health protocols have also not been fulfilled. Among them are temperature checks, social distancing, and the use of gloves for polling station officers.
Another problem is hundreds of voters were disenfranchised. Some voters claimed to have registered on time but their names did not appear on the voter lists. The Law for the 2022 Timor Leste Presidential Election stipulates that citizens with the right to vote can only vote at village polling stations in accordance with population documents.
The presidential election of Timor Leste has only one electoral district. This means that regardless of the location of the polling stations, there is no difference in ballot papers and contestants in the election. However, from this situation, there is no out-of-constituency service for citizens.
The National Elections Commission (CNE) as the election organizer noted that there were 859,613 eligible citizens (over 17 years old) on the voter list. CNE serves all voters through 1500 polling stations, many of which are not yet friendly to voters with disabilities. []
