2025 October 24, Bangkok, Thailand. As ASEAN leaders gather for the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits to deliberate on pressing regional and global challenges, including the worsening crisis in Myanmar, the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) strongly opposes the Myanmar junta-planned election. This electoral exercise, scheduled to begin on 28 December 2025 and continue in stages into early 2026, undermines any prospect of a genuine democratic transition and serves as a calculated attempt to manufacture legitimacy for military rule, and falsely project a return to civilian governance despite the absence of fundamental freedoms and meaningful participation.

ANFREL’s in-depth assessment, released on 30 September 2025 following extensive consultations with a wide range of stakeholders, outlines 15 critical aspects of the electoral process that clearly demonstrate that the elections planned by the junta do not meet international standards and cannot be considered as credible or legitimate.

In light of these findings, ANFREL has made a principled decision not to observe or seek accreditation for the junta-planned election. This marks a significant departure from ANFREL’s long-standing engagement in Myanmar, having been the only international organization to observe all national elections from 2015 to 2020, including the 2015 and 2020 General Elections and the 2017 and 2018 by-elections.

ANFREL joins regional and international actors in urging ASEAN and its member states to adopt a principled, coordinated, and human rights–based approach to the Myanmar crisis. While the ASEAN Leaders’ Statement on an Extended and Expanded Ceasefire in Myanmar, adopted during the 46th ASEAN Summit in May 2025, was a step toward peace, it lacked enforceable mechanisms, independent monitoring provisions, and accountability measures.

As ASEAN leaders meet in Kuala Lumpur and prepare for the handover of the ASEAN Chairship from Malaysia to the Philippines, ANFREL calls on ASEAN to reject and refrain from recognizing the junta-planned election and its outcomes, and to uphold the region’s foundational principles of democracy, rule of law, and respect for human rights as enshrined in the ASEAN Charter. ASEAN must also engage meaningfully with pro-democracy forces, including legitimate representative bodies, ethnic organizations, and civil society actors, and support the establishment of a credible, inclusive, and civilian-led roadmap toward a genuine democratic transition in Myanmar.

As the Philippines assumes the ASEAN Chairship, ANFREL expresses hope that its leadership will revitalize ASEAN’s collective commitment to democracy and human rights, ensuring that the Myanmar people’s struggle for freedom and self-determination remains a central regional priority.
Democracy in Myanmar cannot be imposed through force or simulated through a junta-planned election; it must be reclaimed by its people with ASEAN’s genuine solidarity and support.

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For media inquiries and other information, please contact:

Brizza Rosales
Executive Director
brizza@anfrel.org; anfrel@anfrel.org

Tharindu Abeyrathna
Senior Program Officer for Campaigns and Advocacy
tharindu@anfrel.org

John Reiner M. Antiquerra
Senior Program Officer for Outreach and Communications
john@anfrel.org

Read the full statement here: “ANFREL Strongly Opposes the Myanmar Junta-Planned Election Ahead of the 47th ASEAN Summit“