By Ra Wai / MPA
Myanmar’s parallel administration has issued a stark warning to the international community, urging foreign governments not to recognise the outcome of elections planned by the military junta, labelling the process a “sham” designed to install a puppet regime.
In a joint statement released on Thursday, the National Unity Government (NUG) and the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) called for a total diplomatic boycott of any administration formed through the military’s polls.
The Joint Working Committee on Anti-Sham Elections warned that international endorsement of the results would not resolve Myanmar’s conflict. Instead, they argued, it would push the country into a “vicious cycle” of deeper instability and violence.
The statement coincides with a meeting of Foreign Ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held in Cebu, Philippines.
Speaking after the summit on Thursday, Philippines Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro addressed the issue directly, stating that ASEAN has not recognised the military council’s election process to date.
Political observers in Myanmar viewed the comment as a setback for the junta, which has been seeking regional legitimacy.
“ASEAN’s direct statement is the strongest diplomatic blow the military commission has received so far,” a Monywa-based political activist told the Myanmar Pressphoto Agency (MPA).
However, the activist cautioned against complacency regarding the diplomatic wording. “While they say they don’t recognise it ‘yet’, we have to question if that leaves the door open for recognition tomorrow or the day after.”
The NUG and NUCC have called on ASEAN to take a firmer line. They are demanding a categorical rejection of the “sham election” results and any resulting government, citing the junta’s failure to honour the bloc’s ‘Five-Point Consensus’ peace plan.
The opposition bodies reiterated that the results of the 2020 general election—which Aung San Suu Kyi’s party won by a landslide before being ousted by the coup—remain the only political legitimate mandate.
They vowed to continue their “revolutionary objectives” until the military dictatorship is removed from power.
