Clarity on Myanmar's Election Sought by Malaysian Foreign Minister Amid Ongoing Chaos

Malaysian Foreign Affairs Minister Mohamad Hasan is set to take a trip accompanied by his counterparts from Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia on September 19. His main objective during this trip is to gain a clearer understanding of the electoral situation in Myanmar, particularly in light of the recent military coup that has plunged the country into civil war since 2021. The recent announcement by Myanmar's junta, which lifted a nationwide state of emergency and nominally handed over power to a civilian-led administration, still leaves the junta chief in control as the acting president.

According to Mohamad, he aims to bring this clarification about the upcoming elections to the attention of ASEAN leaders in their meeting scheduled for October. As reported by Malaysian state news agency Bernama, concerns have been raised regarding the implementation of martial law and a new state of emergency in over 60 townships as Myanmar prepares for voting in December and January.

In a previous statement, Mohamad noted that ASEAN had collectively agreed that prioritizing the elections in Myanmar was not essential at this moment. Instead, he urged the military junta to follow the organization's "five-point consensus" peace plan. Despite Myanmar's status as an ASEAN member, its military leaders have been barred from attending key ASEAN meetings since 2022 due to their failure to commit to the peace plan. Western nations have criticized the upcoming elections as a facade designed to reinforce military power, with opposition factions largely excluded from participating.