parties were commonplace. In Northern Shan state, ANFREL was informed that a large party was possibly misusing government funds allocated for COVID-19 aid for campaign purposes. Party representatives allegedly gave 20,000 kyat to some households, prompting citizens to question whether the intentions were genuinely aimed for pandemic support or part of their campaign agenda. ANFREL also received several reports of NLD candidates presenting voters with government-funded relief aid or PPE which they misleadingly stated were provided by the ruling party. The compliance and enforcement of the MOHS guidelines for safe campaigning were widely assessed to be inadequate. There was consensus among the voters and CSO representatives interviewed by ANFREL that most, if not all, political parties violated the limits on the maximum number of participants. Social distancing and usage of face masks were also rarely followed during campaign activities. However, sanctions were rare, in large part because the UEC relied primarily on self-enforcement from political parties and candidates. When asked about some of their larger events, candidates would often evade their responsibilities by claiming that many supporters were joining them out of their own initiative. Meanwhile, police interviewed across the country said they were not being tasked with monitoring campaign events in regard to COVID-19 guidelines. In Bago township, an ANFREL observer witnessed a crowded NLD parade consisting of multiple trucks packed with people wearing political party shirts, carrying posters and campaign materials. The supporters did not wear masks or comply with social distancing. After complaints were filed by some parties, namely the USDP and Union Betterment Party (UBP), the campaign was moved to social media platforms. In small villages and townships, political parties reverted to more individualistic campaign strategies: door-to-door campaigns in the neighbourhood, distributing pamphlets, and using loudspeakers around the quarters. All observers reported similar violations of the MOHS orders in their areas. In Rakhine state, where a stay-at-home order was enforced since late August, campaign activities routinely took place although none should have been allowed throughout the entire campaign period, according to the guidelines. In Kayah state, while no stay-at-home orders were imposed because of the small number of COVID19 cases, travel restrictions were set in place throughout the state. Still, MOHS guidelines were not followed, with many campaign events sporting 100 to 200 participants, and again few attendees wore face masks. In one instance, an estimated 20,000 supporters of the Kayah National Party (KNP) and Kayak State Democratic Party (KySDP) conducted a rally on trucks and motorcycles, but they, too, did not follow physical distancing rules. In Rakhine, after the NLD organised a “beach party” without physical distancing, other political parties followed suit and violated the guidelines as well. The violations mentioned above and many others prompted the UEC to declare on 24 October that “it [was] found that political parties, Hluttaw representative candidates, their supporters are lacking in the observance of the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Sports by over limiting 50 people and ignoring the social distancing rule 26.” The announcement, which came only two weeks before the end of the campaign period, also prompted political parties and their supporters to follow the regulations published by the MOHS. Overall, the poor reactivity of election officials and lack of accountability regarding violations of the health guidelines contributed to a hazardous campaign environment and an unlevel playing field. The few parties that would enforce social distancing and maximum attendance limits risked alienating their supporters and being eclipsed by parties conducting larger events. While appropriate regulations were drafted in order to ensure safe campaigning under COVID-19, ANFREL regrets that they were 26 https://www.gnlm.com.mm/request-to-political-parties-hluttaw-candidates-and-eligible-voters/ 19