ASEAN to assess post-election developments in Myanmar, Malaysia PM says

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Tuesday that leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional bloc will consider developments in Myanmar following the first phase of its election over the weekend.

The polls are being held in several phases amid an ongoing civil war that has ravaged parts of Myanmar and led to one of Asia’s worst humanitarian crises.

The election has been widely derided by the United Nations, Western governments and human rights groups as a sham and an attempt by the regime to entrench military rule through political proxies.

The regime in Naypyidaw has denied the charge, saying the election was not being conducted through coercion or force and has public support.

Malaysia, the 2025 chair of ASEAN, will monitor the situation in Myanmar, along with the leaders of the other 10 member states.