US lawmakers call regime elections a ‘sham’ as the Philippines pushes for peace in Myanmar

The Philippines is ready to contribute to a political process that is “ultimately Myanmar-led and Myanmar-owned,” its Department of Foreign Affairs stated on Friday.

DFA Secretary Theresa Lazaro was appointed the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Special Envoy on Myanmar by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to facilitate a peaceful solution to the Myanmar crisis since the 2021 military coup, as the Philippines assumes chair of ASEAN on Jan. 1, 2026.

“Bearing in mind the continuous developments in and out of Myanmar, the Special Envoy will also remain ready and open to other means in which the Special Envoy can contribute to a political process that is ultimately Myanmar-led,” said Dominic Xavier Imperial, the DFA Deputy Assistant Secretary for ASEAN Affairs.

“The Special Envoy looks forward to grounding its work within the Five-Point Consensus, towards deliberate, pragmatic, and sustainable actions in the process,” added Imperial.

Regime leader Min Aung Hlaing agreed to the ASEAN Five Point Consensus, the regional bloc’s peace plan, in April 2021 but did not implement it upon his return to Myanmar. In an attempt to gain legitimacy for his regime, Min Aung Hlaing has scheduled elections to begin on Dec. 28 and continue into January 2026.

Lazaro told media in Manila on Nov. 17 that a decision on whether ASEAN will officially send observers to the regime’s 2025-26 elections is still under discussion. Any deployment of election observers would need a consensus decision from all ASEAN members.

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers labelled the regime elections a “sham.” The U.N. has also expressed concerns that the vote would not be free and fair.

The U.S. lawmakers, who are Republican and Democratic leaders of foreign affairs committees in the House and Senate, issued a joint statement on Wednesday.