ASEAN Refuses to Recognise Myanmar Elections Claimed by Military Backed Party

CEBU, January 29, 2026 (KPT) – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) does not recognise Myanmar’s recent elections, the first since the army seized power in 2021, Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro said Thursday.

ASEAN’s stance delivers a major blow to the military rulers’ efforts to gain international legitimacy.

The bloc, which counts Myanmar among its 11 members, has refused to recognise the junta since it ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in 2021, plunging the country into civil war.

Asked at a news conference whether ASEAN recognised the polls, Lazaro replied: “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 the position could change.

Her remarks came after hosting ASEAN’s first major ministerial meetings of the year in Cebu, where the Myanmar crisis was high on the agenda.

Myanmar’s military backed Union Solidarity and Development Party claimed victory in the elections earlier this week. The outcome was widely expected, with opposition parties excluded and dissent tightly restricted.

A quarter of parliamentary seats were automatically reserved for the military, effectively guaranteeing control by the armed forces and its allies. Critics said the polls were neither free nor fair, but an attempt to legitimise military rule.