Philippine Foreign Secretary Lazaro said ASEAN members “do not support” elections in military-run Myanmar.

The 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) does not recognize recent elections in military-ruled Myanmar. Military-backed party claims victory earlier this week.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Teresa Lazaro said on Thursday that ASEAN “has not yet endorsed” Myanmar’s three-phase election. Ended last weekend.

Lazaro made the remarks after the central Philippine city of Cebu hosted ASEAN’s first major ministerial meeting of the year, with the Myanmar crisis high on the city’s agenda.

Asked at a news conference whether the EU did not recognize the election, Lazaro said “yes, so far.” Lazzaro did not elaborate on how the regional bloc’s position on the election and its results might change.

Local online news agency Rappler reported that Lazaro said ASEAN had not yet “reached a consensus on Myanmar’s elections.”

“Lazaro also pointed out that while the three rounds of voting have concluded, the entire process is not yet over,” Rappler said.

ASEAN’s failure to recognize the election would be a major blow to normalization efforts by Myanmar’s military rulers, who seized power in 2021 and hope to gain international recognition and a degree of legitimacy by holding the election.

On Monday, the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) claimed victory in the vote. Agence France-Presse quoted a senior U.S. Democratic Party official as saying that based on preliminary results, “we have won the majority.”

“We have the ability to form a new government,” the official said.

“As we win the election, we will move forward.”

Official results are expected to be announced this week, and the military has previously announced that parliament will convene in March and a new government will be inaugurated in April.

Critics say the election Exclude main opposition parties and being nominated by rights groups and activists is neither free nor fair and amounts to an attempt to legitimize military rule.

The 11-member ASEAN regional bloc, including Myanmar, has refused to recognize the 2021 military coup that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and has since Plunging the country into a brutal civil war.

“Meaningful political progress in Myanmar requires a cessation of hostilities, inclusive dialogue and the engagement of all stakeholders,” Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said, according to the Associated Press.

“These preconditions are necessary for a government with legitimacy and a certain level of popular support,” the minister said.

The Philippines currently holds the annual rotating chair of ASEAN, taking over from Myanmar after it was suspended from hosting the conference due to a military seizure of power.