National Democratic Institute

Lott recorded 19 reports of vote buying or selling and 27 cases of partisan political activity by electoral board or sectoral electoral board members.

The findings came as the Joint Technical Assessment Mission of the Asian Network for Free Elections, ANFRL, and the National Democratic Institute, NDI, expressed grave concern over what it described as the rapid and widespread escalation of violence surrounding the elections.

The mission said several shooting and explosive incidents from the eve of the polls through midday Monday in Cotabato City left three people dead and more than a dozen wounded.

Additional reports of gunfire, violence and intimidation emerged after polls opened in Cotabato City and parts of Basilan and Maguindanao del Sur.

ANFRL and NDI called on all stakeholders to exercise restraint and prevent further violence, stressing that the priority must be to protect lives and ensure that the Bangsamoro people can exercise their democratic rights freely.

Lunt also reported that the third electoral board member was positioned where they could see the vote-counting machine screen in 143 of 492 reports, or 29%, raising concerns over ballot secrecy.

Eight reports involved obstruction of Lunt monitors.

Observers reported delayed or shortened early voting periods, mixing of priority and regular voters, and inconsistent implementation of express lanes for senior citizens, pregnant women and persons with disabilities.

But just very briefly, for people who don't know you, I know that I met you when you were working with the think tank Eurothink.

And after that, you were with the National Democratic Institute for some time until the United States basically decided to give up on soft power.

Can you tell me a little bit about what you're doing now at the Institute in terms of some of your primary research topics and interests?

Yes.

We were against the Atlantic Group think tank, the National Endowment for Democracy, which was financing 14 civil society groups on the ground in Zimbabwe and funneling the money through Trans Africa Forum.

We were against the National Democratic Institute and Madeleine Albright.

We were against the International Republican

Institute.

Yeah.

I was with NDI, National Democratic Institute, working on Palestinian democracy, if we remember that, in the first elections in 1996.

Wow.

You were in Iraq in the early years.

Michael brings more than 20 years of experience leading and advising on election protection and democratic reform initiatives in over 30 countries, including some of the world's most challenging political environments, which include us today.

Uh, previously, Michael served as the senior elections advisor in the USAID, and elections program director at the National Democratic Institute.

And I just wanna...

I did not know that USAID actually had a component that looked at elections, Michael.