Asean faces an ailing democracy

Not giving up: Supporters of the Move Forward Party hold a portrait of Pita during a protest in Bangkok. — AP

The victory of Cambodian leader Hun Sen in Sunday’s one-sided election, decided by threats and suppression rather than ballots, and the conspiracy of the Thai military and royalists to override the popular will as expressed in the country’s May election have rung alarm bells for the prospects of democracy in Asean.

The two assaults on popular sovereignty come as the bloc continues to fail to stop the Myanmar military junta from carrying on with its violence and human rights violations after its February 2021 seizure of power from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu-Kyi.