Next year looks to be a critical year for Southeast Asia with prominent presidential elections potentially deciding the future of democracy in the Philippines; politics heating up in Malaysia, Thailand and other countries; the region battling COVID-19 and its economic effects; and ASEAN trying to grapple with the chaos in Myanmar and its impact on the region.

Big elections

The biggest election in Southeast Asia in 2022, of course, will be the Philippine presidential vote, one that already has attracted a ream of contenders. Since Philippine presidents serve one, six-year term and often work with compliant legislatures and weak party systems, they often possess far more power once they are elected than peers in many other presidential systems.