Asean will want inclusive Myanmar polls in 2025: Thailand

Thailand has told Myanmar's junta that Asean would want all stakeholders included in an election the military government plans to hold in 2025, even as the regional bloc seeks a common position on the polls, Thai officials said on Dec 20.

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"If there is an election, Asean would want an inclusive process that included all stakeholders," Thailand's Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa told reporters after meetings with his counterparts and senior diplomats of Asean.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since early 2021, when its military ousted an elected civilian government, triggering pro-democracy protests that morphed into a widening armed rebellion that has taken over swathes of the country.

The military is fighting rebels on multiple fronts, struggling to govern and manage a crumbling economy that was seen as a promising frontier market before the generals ended a decade of tentative democracy.