dismissed by most stakeholders, including the authorities which would have been able to best enforce them. EAO-imposed Rules on Campaigning According to a journalist interviewed by the ANFREL team, some ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) imposed rules for political parties to campaign in their territories. Political parties needed to seek permission from ethnic armed organisations to campaign in their areas. Ethnic parties were also at an advantage since they have connections with EAOs. In Shan state, the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), one of the largest insurgent groups in the country, required political parties to inform them before launching any activities in their territories 27. The Chin National Front (CNF) and its armed wing in Chin state imposed a similar rule: political parties were required to seek permission from the group in order to campaign in CNFcontrolled areas as precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In Mon state, the ethnic New Mon State Party (NMSP) armed group banned all political campaigns in its territories to prevent COVID-19 infections 28. In a statement published on 2 November, the Tatmadaw (armed forces of Myanmar) invited EAOs to respect the rights for political parties to canvass 29. Election Violence Myanmar election laws criminalise the use of violence, threats, or undue influence to prevent a person from exercising the right to vote or run in an election. In addition, the Political Parties Registration Law bans campaign activities that could cause conflict between people of different religions or affect the integrity of groups or individuals. Any political party or candidate found guilty of violating this ban may be disqualified. The campaign period for the 2020 general elections was found to be generally peaceful and calm. ANFREL observers reported few instances of election violence, and then mostly minor ones. Nonetheless, there was a rise in election-related violent incidents. According to the New Myanmar Foundation (NMF), as of 29 October, there were a total of 82 physical confrontations between supporters of various political parties since the campaign started. These incidents included the destruction of vinyl posters, defamation cases between candidates, damages to properties, injuries, and even death. In comparison, in 2015, there were only 28 incidents of election violence incidents 30. One of the most serious instances of election violence occurred on 22 October, when one person was killed and another injured during a confrontation between supporters of the USDP and the NLD in Kar Boe village of Kanbalu township, Sagaing region. In addition, seven bikes, a house, and COVID-19 inspection gates were damaged during the incident. Five people were investigated for the incident 31. On 14 October, the Arakan Army (AA) abducted three candidates from the NLD who were campaigning in Toungup township, Southern Rakhine state. The armed group accused them of canvassing the area despite a stay-at-home order and thus endanger lives; it demanded the liberation 27 https://www.bnionline.net/en/news/rcss-recommends-political-parties-inform-them-election-cam-paigns-theirterritory 28 www.bnionline.net/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bnionline.net%2Fen%2Fnews%2Fchin-national-frontcnf-and-itsarmed-wing-declares-all-candidates-must-seek-permission-order 29 http://dsinfo.org/node/630 30 https://www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/analysis/myanmar-election-violence-rise-november-vote-nears.html 31 https://www.mmtimes.com/news/physical-confrontations-increased-during-2020-election-campaign-periodmyanmar.html 20