The polls are being held in several phases amid an ongoing civil war that has ravaged parts of Myanmar and led to one of Asia’s worst humanitarian crises.

The election has been widely derided by the United Nations, Western governments and human rights groups as a sham and an attempt by the ruling junta to entrench military rule through political proxies.

The junta has denied the charge, saying the election was not being conducted through coercion or force and has public support.

Anwar, the current chair of the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, said the bloc’s leaders will monitor the situation in Myanmar with care, including steps under way that relate to the political process.

“Any assessment will proceed in a sequenced manner, guided by the need to reduce violence, avoid actions that could deepen divisions or confer premature legitimacy, and preserve the possibility of an inclusive and credible pathway forward,” he said in a televised press conference.

Malaysia’s foreign minister has previously said that Asean wants the election to be fair and inclusive, and also urged the Myanmar junta to adhere to a peace agreement it agreed with the bloc in 2021.

The “Five-Point Consensus” peace plan has been largely seen as a failure, with Myanmar’s military rulers refusing to meet with opponents it deemed to be terrorists.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew a civilian democratic government in a 2021 coup, triggering an armed rebellion that has captured large swathes of territory across the country.