KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 (KUNA) -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has rejected sending observers to Myanmar's ongoing elections and will not recognize or endorse their results under the current political and security conditions, said Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan on Tuesday.
Speaking during a session of the Malaysian Parliament, Hasan said ASEAN had unanimously rejected a request by Myanmar to deploy election observers during the bloc's annual summit held in Kuala Lumpur last year, stressing that the decision automatically means ASEAN will not certify the election results.
He clarified that while some ASEAN member states may have independently decided to send observers, such actions do not reflect ASEAN's collective position as a regional bloc.
"We have said clearly that ASEAN will not send observers and, based on that, we will not recognize the elections," Hasan emphasized.
Myanmar has been holding elections in three phases since December last year, a process that has drawn widespread criticism from the UN, Western countries and human rights organizations. Critics argue the elections are intended to legitimize military rule through pro-army political parties, an accusation denied by the ruling military authorities.
The second phase of the elections, held earlier this month, witnessed low voter turnout, with preliminary results showing the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party securing 88 percent of the contested lower house seats during the first phase.
Myanmar has been facing prolonged political and security instability since the military staged a coup against an elected civilian government in 2021, triggering widespread internal conflict and regional and international tensions over the legitimacy of the ruling authorities and the future of the political process.
ASEAN continues to maintain a position calling for a comprehensive political solution in Myanmar based on dialogue and an end to violence, Hasan added. (end) aab.aa