 will not deploy observers or provide legitimacy to Myanmar’s ongoing three-phase elections. Speaking in parliament, Hasan emphasized that since ASEAN is not sending monitors, it naturally follows that the bloc will not certify or validate the military-led polls.){kind=link}
Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan declared on Tuesday that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will not deploy observers or provide legitimacy to Myanmar’s ongoing three-phase elections. Speaking in parliament, Hasan emphasized that since ASEAN is not sending monitors, it naturally follows that the bloc will not certify or validate the military-led polls.
The minister described the elections as a tactic to politically legitimize the military regime that seized power in a 2021 coup. While Myanmar’s junta requested observers during the Kuala Lumpur summit last year, the bloc collectively rejected the appeal. Additionally, Hasan noted that ASEAN is nearing a final agreement on a Code of Conduct with China regarding the South China Sea, aiming for completion within this year to ease regional tensions.