Asia This Week: September 23, 2022

September 23, 2022

A weekly review of key news and analysis of elections in Asia and the Indo-Pacific, usually posted on Fridays and occasionally updated throughout the week.

Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal. Photo credit: Wikimedia/Bijay Chaurasia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Upcoming Asia/Pacific Elections

New Zealand Local Elections: October 8, 2022

Matthew Brockett, Bloomberg (September 15, 2022): Jacinda Ardern’s Feted Covid Response Could Yet Be Her Undoing

Nick Perry, AP (September 12, 2022): New Zealand PM says no republic plan following queen’s death

Nepal General and Provincial Elections: November 20, 2022

Sovit Subedi and Bishnu Adhikari, DevPolicy Blog (September 21, 2022): Nepal’s 2022 elections: a step towards democratic consolidation?

Purushottam Poudel, Kathmandu Post (September 19, 2022): Will Hinduism be an agenda in the upcoming elections? While events in India will have an impact, religion is as yet not a big vote-puller in Nepal.

Purushottam Poudel, Kathmandu Post (September 12, 2022): Visiting Chinese Speaker may have speculations of left unity to shrug off: Even in the past, China has clearly expressed its wish for a strong and united communist party in Nepal.

Taiwan Local Elections: November 26, 2022

Courtney Donovan Smith, Taiwan News (September 13, 2022): If this year’s Taiwan elections were normal, KMT would win big, but this year is strange

Thompson Chau, Nikkei Asia (September 13, 2022): Cyber warfare: China attacks force Taiwan to bolster defenses

India, State Elections in Himachal Pradesh: November 2022 (due)

Kavita Chowdhury, The Diplomat (September 12, 2022): Can Rahul Gandhi’s Long March Revive the Fortunes of the Congress Party?

Thailand General Elections: By March 23, 2023 (earlier elections possible)

Council on Foreign Relations (September 15, 2022): Thailand Simmers on the Edge: Thailand’s political environment is tense in the run-up to the 2023 national elections.

Voice of America (September 14, 2022): Thailand Court Set to Rule on PM Prayuth’s Tenure on Sept. 30

Reuters (September 12, 2022): Thai opinion poll shows majority want an early election

Malaysia General Elections and State Elections: May 2023 (due – general elections likely to be called earlier)

AP (September 22, 2022): Malaysia’s Anwar: Opposition has ‘fair chance’ to win polls

Stratfor (September 21, 2022): What Early Elections in Malaysia Would Mean for the Prime Minister and Ruling Party

Eric Martin, Bloomberg (September 11, 2022): Malaysia Trade Chief Says Economy Needs to Recover Before Polls

Cambodia Parliamentary Elections: July 30, 2023 (due)

Sokunthea Hong, Radio Free Asia (September 23, 2022): PM Hun Sen’s United Nations appearance draws Cambodian diaspora protest

Union of Catholic Asian News (September 20, 2022): Cambodia’s shrinking civic freedoms slammed: The Hun Sen regime’s persecution of activists, trade union activists, the opposition and others must end, CIVICUS says

Sebastian Strangio, The Diplomat (September 16, 2022): Cambodia Opens Third Mass Trial of Opposition Activists

Burma Parliamentary Elections: By August 2023 (proposed – tentative, post-coup)

Sebastian Strangio, The Diplomat (September 15, 2022): Myanmar Junta Chief Airs Postponement of Sham Election: The military government is pinning its political hopes on a state-managed election next year, but it is unclear if it can be held in the current political conditions.

Bangladesh Parliamentary Elections: December 2023 (due)

Sohini Bose, Observer Research Foundation (September 15, 2022): Will Sheikh Hasina’s foreign policy boost her re-election bid? The ‘India factor’ has played an undeniable role in the Awami League’s past electoral triumphs.

Shafi Md Mostofa, The Diplomat (September 9, 2022): Sheikh Hasina’s Visit to Delhi Disappoints Bangladesh

Indonesia Presidential and Legislative Elections: February 14, 2024 and Provincial Elections: November 27, 2024

Financial Times (September 20, 2022): Indonesia’s unexpected success story: The economy is prospering despite the sense of crisis elsewhere but the country’s politics could become more unstable

Faris Mokhtar, Bloomberg (September 14, 2022): Jokowi Could Run for Vice President in Indonesia’s 2024 Election

Joshua Kurlantzick, Council on Foreign Relations (September 13, 2022): Prabowo Subianto and Indonesia’s Next Presidential Election

Solomon Islands General Elections: April 2024 (delayed)

Damien Cave, New York Times (September 12, 2022): Solomon Islands’ leader, a friend of China, gets an election delayed

Sri Lanka Presidential Election: September 2024 and Parliamentary Elections: August 2025 (snap elections possible)

The Diplomat (September 20, 2022): Bailouts Won’t Save Sri Lanka. Ending Dynastic Politics Might.

Past Asia/Pacific Elections

Japan, Gubernatorial Election in Okinawa: September 11, 2022

Jiji (September 11, 2022): Anti-U.S. base incumbent Gov. Denny Tamaki wins Okinawa vote

Reuters (September 11, 2022): Okinawa voters re-elect opposition-backed governor, media report

Australia General Elections: May 21, 2022

Rod McGuirk, AP (September 11, 2022): Australia’s PM says referendum on republic not his priority

Philippines General Elections (Presidential, Legislative, and Local): May 9, 2022

Dwight De Leon, Rappler (September 20, 2022): House approves postponement of barangay, SK elections on final reading

Phil Robertson, Human Rights Watch (September 20, 2022): As Philippines’ Marcos Speaks Before UN, a Few Reminders

Reuters (September 13, 2022): Philippines President Marcos defends father’s martial law legacy

Hong Kong Chief Executive Election: May 8, 2022 (indirect)

Hillary Leung, Hong Kong Free Press (September 19, 2022): Hong Kong’s number 2 official appointed as chair of election candidate vetting committee: The Candidate Eligibility Review Committee was introduced as part of a sweeping electoral overhaul to ensure that only “patriots” can participate in politics in Hong Kong.

Regional Analysis

John R. Bolton, Washington Post (September 12, 2022): As China targets the South Pacific, the U.S. urgently needs to push back

Asia/Pacific Elections Coming Up in 2022 and 2023

Japan, Gubernatorial Election in Okinawa: September 11, 2022

Nauru Parliamentary Elections: September 24, 2022

New Zealand Local Elections: October 8, 2022

Vanuatu Snap Elections: October 13, 2022

Australia, Tasmania Local Elections: October 25, 2022

Timor-Leste Local Elections: October 2022 (due)

Fiji Parliamentary Elections: November 2022 (due)

Taiwan Local Elections: November 26, 2022

India, State Elections in Himachal Pradesh: November 2022 (due)

Australia, South Australia Local Elections; November 11, 2022

Australia, Victoria State Elections: November 26, 2022

India, State Elections in Gujarat: December 2022 (due)

India, State Elections in Tripura, Meghalaya, and Nagaland: February 2023 (due)

Thailand General Elections: By March 23, 2023 (earlier elections possible)

Australia, New South Wales State Elections: March 25, 2023

Micronesia Parliamentary Elections: March 7, 2023

Malaysia General Elections and State Elections: May 2023 (due – general elections likely to be called earlier)

India, State Elections in Karnataka: May 2023 (due)

Cambodia Parliamentary Elections: July 30, 2023 (due)

Burma Parliamentary Elections: By August 2023 (proposed – tentative, post-coup)

Maldives Presidential Election: September 2023 (due)

Tuvalu General Elections: September 2023 (due)

Singapore Presidential Election: September 2023 (expected – largely ceremonial role)

New Zealand General Elections: October 2023 (expected – due by January 2024)

Bhutan Parliamentary Elections: October 2023 (due)

India, State Elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Mizoram: November 2023 (due)

Bangladesh Parliamentary Elections: December 2023 (due)

India, State Elections in Rajasthan and Telangana: December 2023 (due)

Philippines Village Elections: December 2023 (following proposed delay)

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