This research draws upon extensive fieldwork done in Thailand during the 1995 election campaign, and some supplementary research done in the Philippines. The author presented his finding in a series of seminars in Indonesia in early 1996 and during this period obtained data about election monitoring in Indonesia. The author's finished text includes developments in Thailand with the Thai parliament reorganizing elections and their monitoring as of 28th January 1998. These changes and their relevance have been included in the postscript.