January 30, 2026 | 03:29 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has refused to recognize Myanmar’s recent election, the first since the military seized power in 2021, Philippine Foreign Minister Theresa Lazaro said on Thursday.
Asked during a press conference whether ASEAN recognized the Myanmar election, Lazaro told reporters, as quoted by CNA, “Yes, as of now,” adding that the bloc “has not endorsed the three phases of the elections that were held.”
She did not elaborate on whether this stance could change.
Lazaro made the remarks after hosting the first ASEAN summit of the year in Cebu, central Philippines, where the Myanmar crisis was the main agenda.
The election, claimed by Myanmar’s military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) as a victory on Monday, is widely seen as an effort by the military to gain international legitimacy.
Major opposition parties were excluded from the vote, dissent was tightly controlled, and a quarter of parliamentary seats were automatically reserved for the military, effectively guaranteeing its dominance.
Critics have described the election as neither free nor fair, a move designed to consolidate military rule following the 2021 coup that ousted elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and triggered ongoing civil strife.
ASEAN, a regional bloc of 11 countries that suspended Myanmar from its rotating chairmanship after the coup, has consistently refused to recognize the military-led government. This year, the Philippines holds the ASEAN chair.
Regional Security and China Relations
Beyond Myanmar, ASEAN ministers addressed other regional security challenges, including the South China Sea disputes involving China and several ASEAN members, namely the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei.
The bloc agreed to hold monthly meetings with China this year to finalize a “code of conduct” aimed at managing long-standing territorial tensions.
Lazaro opened the summit by emphasizing the importance of restraint and adherence to international law amid acts of aggression in Asia and unilateral actions elsewhere that threaten the rules-based global order.
She highlighted concerns over covert US operations, including the recent arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, as well as China’s increasingly assertive stance toward Taiwan and contested waters in the South China Sea.
“Across our region, we continue to see tensions at sea, protracted internal conflicts and unresolved border and humanitarian concerns,” Lazaro said.
“At the same time, developments beyond Southeast Asia, including unilateral actions that carry cross-regional implications, continue to affect regional stability and erode multilateral institutions and the rules- based international order.”
ASEAN, established in 1967 during the Cold War, includes diverse members ranging from democracies like the Philippines to authoritarian states such as Laos and Cambodia.
The bloc’s 2026 theme, ‘Navigating Our Future Together,’ reflects aspirations for regional unity, which has faced challenges including deadly border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia last year.
Read: Indonesia Ready to Facilitate Inclusive Dialogue for Myanmar, Says Foreign Minister
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