The 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) does not recognise the recently held elections in military-ruled Myanmar, which a military-backed party claimed to have won earlier this week. Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro said on Thursday that ASEAN “has not endorsed the three phases of the elections that were held” in Myanmar, which concluded last weekend. Asked in a news conference if the bloc did not recognise the elections, Lazaro said “yes, as of now”. Local online news organisation Rappler reports that Lazaro said that ASEAN had not yet “reached a consensus on the elections in Myanmar”. “These preconditions are necessary for a government with legitimacy and a measure of popular support to emerge,” the minister said.