Election

A security personnel keeps watch next to a Chinese Communist Party flag before the new Politburo Standing Committee members meet the media following the 20th Party Congress of the Communist Party of China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, 23 October 2022. (Tingshu Wang/Reuters)

Can the CCP truly serve the people?

Recent protests against the Covid restrictions show that the CCP’s mantra of “serving the people” is a double-edged sword. The platitude lends ideological ammunition and justification for people to retaliate, and may also give far leftists fodder for accusing the party of abandoning their original mission. Rather than a nameless “the people” which can be manipulated politically, perhaps it is time to think of the people as each and every person whose rights need to be safeguarded.
Fiji's new prime minister and People's Alliance Party leader Sitiveni Rabuka (centre) leaves after the first sittings of the newly elected parliament in Fiji's capital city Suva on 24 December 2022. (Leon Lord/AFP)

Fiji an important regional power broker as great power politics intensifies in the Pacific

The recent elections in Fiji resulted in the first democratic transition since 2014 after three opposition parties narrowly voted for a pro–Western coalition government with Sitiveni Rabuka as the new prime minister. The election outcome also has geopolitical implications considering the growing US-China confrontation in the Pacific and the renewed US re-engagement in the South Pacific with a focus on Fiji.
Leader of Maoist Centre Party Pushpa Kamal Dahal (right), better known by his nom de guerre Prachanda, waves next to Communist Party Nepal-Union Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) chairman KP Oli, before leaving for the president's office to claim majority for his appointment as the new prime minister, in Bhaktapur on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal, on 25 December 2022. (Dipesh Shrestha/AFP)

Which way Nepal is heading: China, India or the US

After its elections in November 2022, Nepal is now led by a new coalition government formed by parties of the Left Alliance. However, volatile relations and power struggles especially between the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) and the Maoist Centre could mean difficulties in making decisions and implementing policies. The top leaders also have different ideas about foreign relations and great power politics.
Malaysia's newly appointed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim waves from his car as he arrives to take part in the swearing-in ceremony at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 24 November 2022. (Fazry Ismail/Pool/AFP)

Will Malaysia's Anwar adopt a 'pro-West' stance?

Malaysian researcher Liew Wui Chern explains why geographical dictates and long-held principles mean that Malaysia’s foreign policy is unlikely to change drastically under Anwar, at least for now.
Ganjar during a site visit to Central Java where an embankment was damaged by high waves. (Ganjar Pranowo/Facebook)

Ganjar Pranowo: Indonesia’s potential presidential candidate stuck between a rock and a hard place

Among the candidates running for Indonesia’s next president, Ganjar Pranowo has emerged as a strong contender. ISEAS academic Leo Suryadinata gives a profile of Ganjar, and examines the factors that would make or break his campaign, including his previous political affiliations and current political efforts.
Indonesia's Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto gestures while attending the Gerindra Party leaders national meeting, in Bogor, Indonesia, 12 August 2022. (Willy Kurniawan/Reuters)

Prabowo Subianto: Indonesia’s controversial presidential candidate

Prabowo has been in Indonesia’s political scene for decades and his chequered past has not deterred him from multiple runs for vice-president and president. Given his support from the conservative and radical Muslims, with a potential running mate that can boost his standing, will Prabowo finally make his mark as Indonesia’s president in the 2024 elections? ISEAS academic Leo Suryadinata gives a profile of this controversial figure.
Soldiers take position during Taiwan's annual "Han Kuang" exercise in New Taipei City, Taiwan, 27 July 2022. (Ann Wang/Reuters)

Who will have the last laugh after Pelosi’s Taiwan visit?

Despite the heightened tensions following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, Chinese academic Guo Bingyun notes all three protagonists — the US, China and Taiwan — in the Taiwan Strait issue have made more gains than losses, at least in the short term.
Anies Baswedan at an event in Jakarta, 22 July 2022. (Facebook/Anies Baswedan)

Anies Baswedan: Indonesia’s potential president adept at identity politics

ISEAS academic Leo Suryadinata gives a profile of Anies Baswedan, former education and culture minister of Indonesia, current Jakarta governor, and potential presidential candidate. Will he run, and if he does, what is his platform likely to be?
Fumio Kishida, Japan's prime minister and president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), at the upper house election, at the party's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, 10 July 2022.

Post-Abe: PM Kishida’s challenge to rebuild order within the party

Japan-based academic Zhang Yun notes that despite the political rivalry between Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the late Shinzo Abe, they were political partners that needed each other. With Abe’s demise, will Kishida be able to rein in the other factions of the Liberal Democratic Party and rebuild a unified order within the party and in the government?