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Asia elections

Asia elections
The latest news, analysis and videos on the elections in Thailand, Indonesia, India, Philippines, Australia and Japan.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets then Bangladeshi leader Sheikh Hasina before a meeting in New Delhi on June 22, 2024. Photo: AP
India

Why India is losing ground over Bangladesh and Myanmar to regional rivals

Pakistan and China have been drawing closer to Bangladesh and Myanmar in areas such as defence and trade at India’s expense, analysts say.

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Japan

Japan’s Takaichi faces uphill task in election as opposition unites

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Japan

Japan’s ‘love hotel’ mayor stages comeback, shattering political taboos

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Thailand

Money for babies, combat pay: Thailand’s poll turns into a cash splash contest

From US$2,000 for newborns to debt write-offs, Thai political parties are dangling a raft of handouts in a bid to woo voters on February 8.

Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of Thailand’s Democrat Party, greets a woman and her baby during an election campaign event in Bangkok on Saturday. Photo: EPA
Myanmar

Myanmar’s pro-junta party wins Aung San Suu Kyi’s seat: ‘surprise no one’

The military-backed party claims to have won 90 per cent of the available seats so far in a poll activists have derided as ‘engineered’.

Nepal

Nepal’s ex-king voices concern after protests as supporters rally

Gyanendra Shah was deposed in 2008 in a democratic uprising after he suspended the constitution and dissolved parliament in 2005.

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Bangladesh

India-Bangladesh talks over Ganges waters may turn murky over politics, UN pact

Bangladesh’s election, Hasina’s presence in India and Dhaka’s signing of the UN water convention could complicate the 1996 Ganges agreement.

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A boy plays with a football on the banks of the Ganges river in Varanasi, India. Photo: AFP
Japan

Japan’s Takaichi tipped for snap election gamble as poll ratings soar

The Japanese prime minister has won plaudits at home over her tough stance towards China, but inflation remains a major voter concern.

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South Korea

South Korea’s conservatives attempt break from Yoon with martial law apology

Yoon Suk-yeol’s former ruling party has offered a belated mea culpa, but critics see the move as nothing more than a cynical election ploy.

Nepal

Nepal’s ex-PM questioned over protest crackdown which led to overthrow

Nepal’s former prime minister KP Sharma Oli had said he would not submit to questioning, accusing the investigation of lacking a ‘constitutional basis’.

Former Nepali Prime Minister and newly elected leader of the Communist Party of Nepal - Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), KP Sharma Oli (left) looks on during the party’s 11th general convention in Kathmandu on December 18 last year. Photo: AFP
Thailand

Thailand’s ‘orange wave’ is back. Can it finally end conservative rule?

The Senate can no longer pick the prime minister, opening a path to victory for the reformist People’s Party in the election on February 8.

Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, leader of the People’s Party, on the campaign trail this week in Thailand. Photo: Aidan Jones
Bangladesh

Asian Angle | Bangladesh needs ‘structural’ change, but how will it get there?

As Bangladesh heads into elections next year, it must tread the challenge of political transition with more care and thoughtfulness.

Myanmar

Myanmar military-backed party leads in election’s first phase by wide margin

The Union Solidarity and Development Party, led by retired generals, won 38 of 40 seats in the lower house.

Bangladesh

‘Clear advantage’: why return of Zia’s son may influence Bangladesh’s election

The death of ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia may have boosted voter support for her son Tarique Rahman, who is contesting in the election.

Then acting Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairman Tarique Rahman addresses his supporters after his return from London in Dhaka on December 25. Photo: Reuters
Myanmar

As I see it | Why China is Myanmar’s only real hope

A general election won’t end the country’s brutal civil war, but regional coordination by key neighbouring countries without Western interference might.

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Vendors sort vegetables at a market in Naypyidaw on December 29, a day after the first phase of Myanmar’s general election. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Malaysia’s opposition thrown into uncertainty as Muhyiddin quits as PN chairman

The former prime minister’s exit follows months of infighting within Perikatan Nasional and a bitter power struggle between Bersatu and PAS.

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Thailand

Border row aids Anutin as Shinawatras play catch up in Thai election

Caretaker PM Anutin rides nationalist wave over Cambodia; Pheu Thai taps Thaksin’s nephew to revive brand; reformists drop key vows to stay relevant.

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Bangladesh

Former Bangladesh PM Khaleda Zia dies after prolonged illness

Despite her ill health, 80-year-old Zia, a dominant figure in Dhaka’s turbulent power struggles, had vowed to run in next year’s election.

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Bangladesh’s former prime minister Khaleda Zia at a Dhaka rally in 2016. Photo: AFP
Bangladesh

Will Tarique Rahman’s return to Bangladesh ease tensions, restore stability?

Rahman could help consolidate the BNP’s position as the dominant electoral force, while tempering a volatile political climate, analysts say.

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Myanmar

Why Myanmar’s junta election cannot hide a collapsing economy

Analysts warn that conflict, power shortages and resource extraction under military rule are pushing Myanmar’s economy further into reverse.

Nepal

Ex-rapper to run for Nepal PM after youth-led protests

Two popular leaders form an alliance ahead of Nepal’s March 5 elections.

Rapper turned-Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah, known as Balen. Photo: Safal Prakash Shrestha/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Thailand

Who is running for Thai PM? Unofficial campaign starts as parties name candidates

PM Anutin seeks re-election in a three-way race against People’s Party and Thaksin’s Pheu Thai amid constitutional referendum in February poll.

Supporters with placards back Thai PM Anutin Charnvirakul on the first day of candidate registration in Bangkok on Sunday. Photo: AFP
Myanmar

‘Military has destroyed our lives’: Myanmar votes in election amid civil war

The multiphase election, which the junta insists is ‘free and fair’, comes nearly four years after it took power in a coup.

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Myanmar

‘Lost my future’: Myanmar’s ‘charade’ election dims hopes of diaspora

The junta’s phased election starting on Sunday has been slammed as a ploy for its generals to stay in power.

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Thailand

Thailand’s Anutin named PM candidate for ‘consequential’ February poll

Caretaker leader Anutin Charnvirakul named Bhumjaithai’s PM candidate, banking on nationalism and Cambodia tensions to win election.

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Thailand’s caretaker PM Anutin Charnvirakul reacts at a Bangkok event on Wednesday while unveiling policies ahead of February’s general election. Photo: Reuters
India

India’s partial visa suspension signals unease over Bangladesh’s recent unrest

India halted visa services from its Chittagong mission after violent protests, underscoring its concern over security and stability.

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Protesters chant slogans around a fire in Dhaka on December 18 after the death of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, whose killing triggered unrest in the Bangladeshi capital and other parts of the country, including attacks on media offices, authorities said. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Asian Angle | Sabah’s election proves Malaysians want results, not slogans

Local parties crying ‘Sabah First’ largely flopped as voters rejected empty identity rhetoric for proven service records.

Singapore

Anwar’s coalition revives Chinese school certification debate, sparking row

The sensitive issue in the Malay-Muslim majority country has caused a row between Umno and DAP, an insider says.

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