About Us
The Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) is the first-ever network of civil society networks in Pakistan dedicated to strengthening democracy through observation and oversight of electoral, parliamentary, and governance processes.
Vision
An inclusive society where justice is the norm, democracy is the practice and peace is the order.
Mission
FAFEN strives to influence people-centered policy and legislative reforms by supporting citizen-led actions, oversight and research for credible elections, accountable public and political institutions, and inclusive governance.
Guiding Principles
Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) upholds the following Principles and Values in the performance of its work, public interactions, and organizational procedures and processes:
Non-partisanship
FAFEN does not support any political party and maintains absolute neutrality in all its observations and assessments.
Accountability
FAFEN is open to public accountability of its governance, work, performance, and conduct.
Non-Discrimination
FAFEN does not discriminate and condone discrimination on the basis of caste, color, age, or physical disability, etc.
Transparency
FAFEN procedures and processes maximize organizational transparency.
FAFEN Network of Networks
FAFEN Journey
FAFEN's journey of strengthening democratic institutions and election observation from 2006 to February 2024:
Network Establishment
FAFEN, a network of more than 30 civil society organizations, was established in November 2006.
Voters List Audit
FAFEN conducted the Voters List Audit in August 2007, which was the first statistically-sound effort by civil society to scrutinize the accuracy and completeness of electoral rolls.
General Elections 2008 Observers Deployment
FAFEN deployed more than 18,000 trained Short-Term Observers on Election Day on February 18, 2008.
Electoral Reforms & Sustainability
FAFEN as a network never lost sight of the longer-term goals of electoral and governance reform and the importance of institutional sustainability, taking a leading role towards subsequent electoral reforms.
National Assembly Observation Methodology
FAFEN started observation of the National Assembly using a comprehensive and robust methodology.
Unification of Election Legislation
Presented to the Parliamentary Committee for electoral reforms and released the unique publication "A Unification of Pakistan's Election Legislation with Model Provisions for Electoral Reform".
Democracy Programming & Constituency Relations
FAFEN developed program methodologies for post-election democracy programming, including constituency relations and parliamentary observation.
Assembly Expansion & Governance Monitoring
Expansion of parliamentary observation to the Senate and Provincial Assemblies. Initiated governance monitoring of public institutions.
General Elections 2013 Landmark PVTs
FAFEN positioned 41,000 observers to monitor the 2013 elections—the largest-ever mobilization of citizens. Conducted the world's largest parallel vote tabulations (PVTs) in 240+ constituencies.
Electoral Transparency Campaign & GB Elections
Launched a public campaign demanding ECP post essential GE-2013 result documents online. Observed the Gilgit-Baltistan elections and released recommendations for constitutional reforms.
Local Government Elections & Women's Registration
Observed Local Government Elections across all provinces and ICT. Called for a Women's Voter Registration Emergency to register missing women voters.
Elections Act 2017 & ElectionPakistan.com
Presented reviews and recommendations to the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms. Launched Pakistan's comprehensive election portal ElectionPakistan.com.
General Elections 2018 Observation
FAFEN observed General Elections 2018 by deploying 16,000 trained, ECP-accredited observers.
KP Tribal Districts & GB Elections
Observed historic first-ever elections to the KP Provincial Assembly seats in seven tribal districts (formerly FATA) and the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly elections.
Provincial LG Elections & Delimitation Reviews
Observed multi-phase Local Government elections in KP, Balochistan, and Sindh. Published comprehensive reviews on preliminary constituency delimitations.
General Elections February 2024 Deployment
FAFEN deployed 6,000 trained election observers across Pakistan for observing the General Elections in February 2024.