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King Prajadhipok’s Institute 21

II. Profiles of Independent Electoral

Commissions in the Philippines and

Thailand

A. Overview

An election commission – whether independent, branch, mixed,
executive or judicial in form and function – is a body that oversees and

manages the implementation of electoral procedures and activities.
Across the globe, there are various models of electoral commissions in

place but they all work towards a common goal: to implement election
activities in an orderly and timely manner and safeguard the integrity of
the electoral process and its results.

Max Gromping of The Electoral Integrity Project at the University
of Sydney (http://www.newmandala.org/southeast-asian-elections-worst-

in-the-world/) provides succinctly the context of electoral exercises in
Southeast Asia: “Elections in Southeast Asia occur in a wide spectrum

of regimes, with varying degrees of political freedoms. The one-party
states of Viet Nam and Lao PDR hold national elections with some
degree of (intra-party) competition. The electoral autocracies in Singapore,

Malaysia, and Cambodia – some more hegemonic, some more
competitive – call to the polls with varying degrees of contestation.

Elections in the Philippines have a history of more than 100 years, while
Myanmar is just emerging from some decades of dictatorship. Indonesia
and Timor-Leste seem to be on a remarkable and fast trajectory

towards liberal democracy, while Thailand – after what now seems like