A member of the Union Election Commission (UEC) has denied that it bars People’s Alliance for Credible Elections (PACE) from observing the upcoming 2020 general election.

UEC member Myint Naing replied to the question of a reporter during the State Counsellor’s inspection of tour of the offices where voter lists are being announced in Nay Pyi Taw Council Area on August 14.

“It is not true that PACE is banned from observing the election process. We allow them,” he added.

Officials from PACE held a press conference on August 13 saying that they received a letter dated 30 July from UEC informing that the organization is not allowed to monitor or observe the 2020 election due to the lack of registration and the acceptance of international funds.

Sai Ye Kyaw Swar Myint, executive of director of PACE, remarked that they did receive the letter from UEC banning election monitoring, but the commission might have changed its decision.

He said the director general of the UEC office, when contacted on the afternoon of August 14, replied that plans were underway to re-allow its election monitoring.

He said the plan was welcomed but they would be able to do their work only if they received an official letter from the commission to do so.

“We can say about this only if we receive an official letter. When we made a phone call, they said they were planning to send a letter to re-allow. I don’t whether the letter will come tomorrow or next week. As you know, they said we are allowed even if it is not so,” Sai Ye Kyaw Swar Myint.

Founded in 2014, PACE, an election monitoring organization, used large manpower to observe the 2015 general election, the by-elections in 2017 and 2018 and the election for the Yangon City Development Committee members.

PACE is due to observe the 2020 general election scheduled on November 8 by deploying over 2,900 workers.