CEBU: The Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) does not recognise the recently held elections in Myanmar, the first since the army seized power in 2021, the Philippine foreign secretary said on Thursday (Jan 29).
Asean’s non-recognition of the elections in Myanmar, which a military-backed party claimed to have won, is a major blow to efforts by the country’s military rulers to gain international recognition.
The regional bloc, whose 11 members include Myanmar, has refused to recognise the military-ruled government since the army forcibly wrested power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in 2021. The power grab has plunged the impoverished country in a deadly civil war.
Asked in a news conference if the bloc did not recognise the elections in Myanmar, Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro said, "yes, as of now” and added that Asean "has not endorsed the three phases of the elections that were held.”
Lazaro did not elaborate how the regional bloc’s stance could possibly change. She was speaking after hosting the Asean's first major ministerial meetings this year in the central city of Cebu. The Myanmar crisis was high on the agenda.
Myanmar’s military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party claimed Monday (Jan 26) that it had won the elections. The victory of the party led by a former general was widely expected after the vote excluded major opposition parties and dissent was tightly restricted.
Also, a quarter of parliamentary seats were automatically reserved for the military - effectively guaranteeing control by the armed forces and its favoured parties.
Critics say the elections were neither free nor fair, but an effort to legitimise its rule after its forcible seizure of power.
The Philippines holds Asean’s rotating chair this year, taking what would have been Myanmar’s turn after the country was suspended from chairing the meeting after the military's seizure of power. - AP
