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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.
A labourer inspects a Hindustan Ambassador yellow taxi, transporting fish at a wholesale market on January 30, in Kolkata, West Bengal state, India. Photo: AFP
India

Fish and vegetarianism major flashpoints in India’s West Bengal election

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has promoted dietary restrictions as part of its Hindu nationalist agenda.

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Bangladesh

Vaccine coverage gaps spur Bangladesh’s deadly measles outbreak

The Philippines

Sara Duterte faces impeachment, but leads Philippine presidential survey. Why?

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Myanmar

From general to Myanmar president: Min Aung Hlaing’s ‘cosmetic’ rebrand

His transition from top general to president is a ‘veneer’ that poses a challenge for Asean, which has long shunned him, critics say.

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Myanmar’s parliament elected junta chief Min Aung Hlaing as president on Friday. Photo: AFP
Myanmar

Video | Myanmar’s junta chief set to continue rule as civilian president

With the military controlling parliament, Min Aung Hlaing is widely expected to be elected president.

Myanmar

Myanmar paves way for junta chief to be civilian president

Min Aung Hlaing has ruled Myanmar since 2021 when he ordered a coup toppling the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

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Mongolia

Mongolian parliament selects new prime minister amid corruption allegations

Zandanshatar Gombojav resigned after only nine months following allegations of corruption against one of his senior ministers.

Mongolian Prime Minister Gombojav Zandanshatar speaks before parliament votes to accept his resignation, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on Friday. Photo: AFP
Nepal

Balendra Shah sworn in as Nepal’s prime minister

Balendra Shah, the 35-year-old ex-rapper widely known as Balen, is Nepal’s youngest PM in decades.

Nepal

Nepal’s probe into deadly uprising finds ex-prime minister, officials ‘reckless’

The report is proposing prison sentences of up to 10 years for K.P. Sharma Oli and other top government officials.

Thailand

Anutin takes charge in Thailand as Mideast chaos pressures economy

Facing economic challenges and border tensions with Cambodia, the prime minister has pledged swift responses to public needs.

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Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul reacts at parliament in Bangkok on Thursday. Photo: AFP
Nepal

Nepal’s LGBTQ community celebrates first transgender woman lawmaker

More than 900,000 people identify as sexual minorities in Nepal, which has some of South Asia’s most progressive laws on LGBTQ rights.

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Bhumika Shrestha, Nepal’s first transgender woman to become a member of parliament, is congratulated by members of the LGBTQ community in Kathmandu on Monday. Photo: EPA
Myanmar

Myanmar’s junta-proxy parliament meets for first time since 2021 coup

Stacked with military allies and ex-generals, the new assembly aims to legitimise a regime the United Nations and EU have branded a sham.

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Thailand

Thailand’s parliament opens amid scrutiny over bar codes on election ballots

The ombudsman has cited 21 public complaints that bar codes and QR codes on the ballots could be used to ⁠identify how people voted.

Japan

‘He’s so handsome’: Japan’s youngest governor, 36, sets social media abuzz again

Fans of Takato Ishida continue to swoon over him, even as the Fukui governor has to deal with his predecessor’s sexual harassment scandal.

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Left: Takato Ishida, the 36-year-old governor of Fukui, attends a session of the prefectural assembly. Right: Ishida attending the Special Committee on Anti-Harassment on Monday. Photos: Instagram / ishida.takato
Nepal

Nepal just elected a rapper for PM. His foreign policy has a new beat

Newly elected Balendra Shah’s public messaging suggests a balanced approach rather than a tilt to either side, analysts say.

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Balendra Shah greets supporters in Damak, Jhapa district, on March 7 after winning the election. Photo: Reuters
Nepal

Nepali ex-rapper will form government after landslide election win

Balendra Shah emerged as a leading figure in the 2025 uprising that ousted former Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli.

Thailand

Asian Angle | How to win an election in Thailand: stage a rebrand, rely on rural votes

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul put Bhumjaithai’s technocrats centre stage, while letting provincial barons run the real campaign.

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Nepal

Nepal election: rapper-turned-politician Balen Shah beats former prime minister

The 35-year-old former Kathmandu mayor’s defeat of K.P. Sharma Oli means he is on track to head the next government.

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Balendra Shah, 35, receives his victory certificate on Sunday after defeating former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli in Nepal’s parliamentary election. Photo: AP
Protests around the world

Video | Nepal votes after Gen Z protests

Nearly 19 million Nepalis are choosing 275 members of parliament in an election seen as a test of stability.

Nepal

Video | Nepal to choose new government following Gen Z protests

Nearly 19 million people have registered to vote, with 800,000 taking part for the first time.

Nepal

‘This is our moment’: Nepal’s Gen Z voters hope for ‘turning point’ in election

While all the parties have pledged economic growth and job creation, thousands are leaving Nepal each day in search of a better life.

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An art exhibition in Kathmandu displays slogans used in the Gen Z protest in September last year. Photo: Bibek Bhandari
Myanmar

Myanmar convicts charged as ‘terrorists’ by junta freed in mass amnesty

Activists and armed groups fighting the junta have been labelled ‘terrorist’ outfits, and punished with life prison terms and possible death sentences.

Released prisoners look from a bus window outside Insein Prison in Yangon, Myanmar, on Monday. Photo: EPA-EFE
Myanmar

Why China’s Myanmar dilemma still persists, 5 years and 1 election later

Old concerns about stability and security linger as other big players vie for sway over Myanmar’s rare earth bounty and strategic location.

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Bangladesh

Bangladesh faces daunting post-election challenges in economy, garment sector

A key concern for Dhaka is the upgrade to developing nation status, with the key garment sector set to face stiffer competition.

The Philippines

Philippines’ Sara Duterte declares early 2028 run amid mounting legal pressure

Analysts say the vice-president’s timing aims to deter defections and harden political lines ahead of a prolonged contest.

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Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte at a press conference in Metro Manila on Wednesday. Photo: EPA
Japan

Okinawa voters shift away from concerns over US military presence

Analysts point to a shift in priorities among younger Okinawans as a possible factor in the alliance’s bruising defeat in the election.

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Anti-base activists take part in a protest against the construction of a US military facility in Henoko in Nago, Japan’s Okinawa prefecture, in 2022. Photo: AFP
Bangladesh

Opinion | Bangladesh’s BNP could struggle to enact reforms despite election win

While the BNP’s margin of victory should help ensure stability, its roots in the old order could limit the speed and reach of reforms.

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Nepal

Nepal starts campaign for first election since deadly anti-corruption protests

Nearly 19 million people have registered to vote, including 800,000 taking part for the first time.

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