South Asia is going to participate in important events in 2023. The region does not lag behind when it comes to international relationships and local development. In many countries, there will be general elections in which opposition parties will compete for the ultimate goal.
Countries to be holding elections are Cambodia, Singapore, and Pakistan, while one of the largest Asian powers, India, will host one of the most important events when it comes to international relationships.
Indonesia becomes president of the ASEAN
2023 has arrived with many changes and new projects. For example, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is moving its leadership from Cambodia to Indonesia.
In November 2022, there was an official ceremony in which Cambodia passed on the presidency of the association to the new country. The Prime Minister, Samdech Techo Hun Sen, was happy to announce that the ASEAN achieved many objectives even through global and local challenges like the Myanmar situation.
Likewise, leaders from other member countries took part in important discussions about the next steps to take. The main objective is to strengthen the values of the region while interacting with foreign partners and adapting to the fast changes in society and technology.
From his side, Joko Widodo, president of Indonesia, announced that the association’s theme for 2023 will be “ASEAN Matters: the epicenter of growth”. He also stated that the country will promote important initiatives like the creation of an ASEAN community to improve operations between the groups, enhance relationships among the members, and boost the general improvement of the results. The video below shows an extract of the ceremony.
The ASEAN was created in 1967, on August 8th when five leaders from the region got together to create an association that would cater to the needs of each participant while promoting cooperation and peace. These were the presidents and foreign affairs ministers of the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia. Now they are known as the founding fathers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which is considered one of the most solid organizations dedicated to intergovernmental cooperation. Thus, with a document called the ASEAN declaration, this organization was born and became key for the region.
Times may be changing while politicians fight for a place in the government and parliament
There will be many elections in the region during 2023, one of the most important ones being the general elections in Thailand on May 7th. This entails a confrontation between the conservative party and the younger generations, which in 2020 protested against the monarchic regime.
On the other hand, Singapore will hold elections in September, while Pakistan will choose the new members of the parliament in October. To put a stop to the former minister, Imran Khan, the current leader, made an alliance with the enemies of the Bhutto family. Bangladesh also is expected to experience political turmoil this year because, in the last few months, opposite parties and some citizens demanded the resignation of the first minister Sheikh Hasina.
Cambodia will also celebrate general elections, but, in this case, experts don’t expect big surprises. At the moment, the favorite candidate comes from the people’s party, which has been leading the government since 1984. Even though the council in Myanmar announced general elections, they won’t be democratic due to the current conflict.
All in all, the countries that may be facing important political changes this year are:
- Thailand
- Singapore
- Bangladesh
- Pakistan
India to be the host of the G20 summit
The 18th G20 summit, held by chiefs of state from all the member countries will take place in New Delhi. The date is set up for the 9th and 10th of November. Thus, the summit will put an end to all the processes and meetings held throughout the year between civil associations, high-range officers, and ministers. When the summit finishes, participants will adopt a statement of the G20 leaders where they will emphasize their commitment toward the agreements derived from the discussions across different meetings.
G20 stands for “group of 20” and refers to an association between the 20 countries with the largest populations and global trade ranges and that hold 80% of the world’s GDP. Some members are the UK, South Africa, Argentina, Mexico, The US, South Korea, Japan, China, and the European Union.
Besides getting ready for important elections, the region is still quite active when it comes to inner cooperation. The decision of India to celebrate the G20 summit also speaks of a clear interest in collaboration with nations outside the region.
