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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.
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
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

The Philippines

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

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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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Bangladesh

Bangladesh PM-to-be celebrates landslide win, thanks protesters

Prime minister-in-waiting Tarique Rahman dedicated his victory to those who ‘sacrificed for democracy’ after the first polls since a deadly 2024 uprising.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairman Tarique Rahman (right) after addressing a press conference in Dhaka on Saturday. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

Too popular to impeach? Philippine efforts to unseat Duterte-Carpio face snags

There is some uncertainty over whether President Marcos’ allies would be able to make up the numbers to support the complaints.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s BNP set to balance ties with powers to avoid crossing ‘red line’

The party will focus on economic growth after the election while fostering cordial ties with India, Pakistan, China and the US, analysts say.

Thailand

Thai PM agrees to form coalition with Thaksin-backed Pheu Thai

The 2 parties were previously coalition partners, until PM Anutin pulled out over a Cambodia border dispute scandal last June.

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Anutin Charnvirakul’s pro-military and pro-monarchy party had its best electoral performance ever in polls. Photo: Reuters
Japan

A doomed experiment? Japan’s opposition struggles to regroup amid crushing loss

A 124-seat collapse has left the Centrist Reform Alliance in tatters, with observers calling the defeat a ‘debacle of epic proportions’.

Yoshihiko Noda (left) and Tetsuo Saito announce their resignation as co-leaders of the opposition Centrist Reform Alliance at a press conference in Tokyo on Monday. Photo: Xinhua
Japan

Editorial | Takaichi’s election mandate won’t give her leverage with China

The Japanese prime minister’s hawkish stance will only further inflame tensions over Taiwan – and popularity at home won’t temper Beijing’s response.

Thailand

Vote recount calls grow in Thailand amid claims of election irregularities

The People’s Party, among others, cites ‘clear evidence of irregularities during the tallying process’, including vote-buying and tampering.

Malaysia

In Malaysia, civil war erupts between key opposition leaders ahead of poll

Bersatu, a party in the PN alliance, is riven by a succession fight between its two top leaders ahead of the next general election.

A woman casts her ballot during Malaysia’s 2022 general election in Bera, Pahang. Photo: Reuters
Thailand

Thailand rejects radical change with Anutin’s ‘right-wing turn’

Voters weary of upheaval embraced Bhumjaithai’s technocratic promises of debt relief and subsidies, sidelining the reformist People’s Party.

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Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul poses as he arrives at the Government House in Bangkok on February 9. Photo: AFP
Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s political parties campaign over revolution’s legacy

The centrist Bangladesh Nationalist Party is the front-runner, rivalling the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami and the student uprising-founded National Citizen party.

Thailand

Double blow for losing Thai reformist party as 44 members face lifetime ban

People’s Party leader Natthaphong is among those accused of breaching ethical standards by petitioning to amend the royal insult law.

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Japan

Video | Japan’s PM Takaichi secures historic supermajority

The results set a record for the party since its founding in 1955, surpassing the 300 seats secured in 1986.

Japan’s Prime Minister and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Sanae Takaichi places a red paper rose on the name of an elected candidate at the LDP headquarters during the House of Representatives election in Tokyo on February 8, 2026. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon / POOL / AFP)
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Japan

Japan’s Takaichi won the election, but at what cost to the LDP?

The ruling party’s embrace of a ‘single patriarchal value system’ could paradoxically weaken its long-term dominance, analysts say.

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China-Japan relations

Takaichi wins election landslide amid China dispute

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi won a supermajority in the nation’s lower house, even after comments about Taiwan triggered economic reprisals from China.

Bangladesh

Outcry in Bangladesh over politician’s call to curb women in workforce

The proposal has sparked concerns that it would damage the country’s vital garment sector, which is dominated by female workers.

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Shafiqur Rahman, leader of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party, speaking at an interview in his office in Dhaka in 2024. His recent comments on shorter working hours for women have fuelled concerns ahead of the country’s election on February 12. Photo: AFP
Thailand

Conservatives storm to victory in Thailand’s election

The Bhumjaithai Party is forecast to win nearly 200 seats as People’s Party concedes election.

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Thailand’s caretaker PM, Anutin Charnvirakul, reacts on Sunday in Bangkok as his party takes the lead. Photo: Reuters
Japan

Japan’s ‘Iron Lady’ Takaichi sweeps election with historic win

Sanae Takaichi’s coalition secures 352 seats in parliament’s lower house, handing the prime minister a supermajority.

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Japan

Japan workshop helps young voters spot deepfakes ahead of general election

Digital platforms are trying to curb the adverse impact of disinformation and fake news on Generation Z ahead of Japan’s election on Sunday.

Indonesia

Exclusive | Inside Indonesia’s inner circle: Hashim Djojohadikusumo on Prabowo’s vision

The Indonesian president’s brother talks ‘fried’ stocks, ‘mosquito’ rivals and MSCI’s Turkmenistan insult in an exclusive interview.

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Hashim Djojohadikusumo, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s brother and trusted confidant, poses for a photograph after speaking with This Week in Asia. Photo: Rizky Maulana Yanua
Thailand

Asian Angle | Thailand’s election will pass verdict on the architecture of elite control

After court rulings removed successive PMs, this election tests whether a popular mandate can finally survive the state’s veto traps.

Pedestrians walk past campaign posters in Bangkok on Tuesday ahead of Thailand’s general election. Photo: AFP
Japan

Video | Viral ‘sanamania’ craze boosts Japan PM’s popularity

‘Sanakatsu’ fever turns Japan’s PM Sanae Takaichi into unexpected youth icon ahead of election.

Thailand

As Thailand prepares to vote, can election deliver the change it needs?

Whoever wins will become Thailand’s fourth prime minister in three years but face a daunting task to revive the economy and ease political gridlock.

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