ASEAN will not certify Myanmar election
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will not recognise or certify Myanmar’s ongoing election and will not deploy observers to monitor the vote, Malaysia’s foreign minister said.
Addressing Malaysia’s parliament, Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said the 11-member bloc would stay clear of the three-phase election being organised by Myanmar’s junta, which seized power in a 2021 coup. Without ASEAN observers on the ground, the regional grouping will not endorse the credibility or outcome of the poll.
Myanmar’s military authorities have promoted the election as a step towards restoring civilian rule, but critics argue it is designed to legitimise continued army control while key opposition groups remain banned or suppressed. Several ASEAN members have previously expressed concern that the vote lacks inclusivity and fails to meet international democratic standards, particularly as violence and political arrests persist across the country.
ASEAN has struggled to enforce its five-point peace consensus with Myanmar’s generals, which calls for an end to violence and dialogue among all parties. The bloc has barred Myanmar’s top military leaders from high-level meetings due to a lack of progress.
In his parliamentary remarks, Mohamad Hasan also said ASEAN aims to finalise a long-awaited code of conduct with China for the South China Sea this year, underscoring the bloc’s parallel focus on regional stability and major-power relations despite divisions over Myanmar.
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