For a brief time this summer, it seemed like Thailand might finally be on the cusp of truly representative government.
In elections in May, a pro-reform party won the largest share of votes, riding a wave of public discontent over nine years of military rule and the outsize prerogatives enjoyed by the Thai royal family. Thailand’s monarchy is one of the wealthiest and longest-reigning in the world. Backed by the military and the judiciary, it is the linchpin of a conservative establishment that has fought off challenges to its dominance for decades, often with royally-endorsed military coups that overthrew democratically elected governments.… Seguir leyendo »
Thailand’s March 24 elections produced a few surprises — including the success of a new party, the Future Forward Party (FFP). FFP is a left-of-center, liberal democratic party, arguably the first in the country’s recent history. The party has a strong commitment to democracy, and promised to reform the military-backed constitution and reduce the budget of the armed forces.
A young and charismatic billionaire named Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit is the FFP leader. But in the wake of the election, Thailand’s ruling military junta charged Thanathorn with sedition and other offenses related to his alleged support of anti-junta activists in 2015. The case dates to a period when military courts heard cases related to civilians, so Thanathorn is likely to face a military tribunal.… Seguir leyendo »
The Thai people will go to the ballot box on Sunday, but there is little chance that the voting will break the political deadlock that is crippling the country.
Bangkok has been at an uneasy standstill for almost three months, tugged at by different parties in different directions. On one side are the caretaker government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and the ruling Pheu Thai Party, which was elected in July 2011 on promises to redistribute wealth to the lower-middle classes and the poor. Opposite them are the protesters who have rallied around the People’s Democratic Reform Committee, a Bangkok-based movement that wants to topple the government, which it sees as hopelessly corrupt.… Seguir leyendo »
The thunderous results of Thailand’s general election on July 3 will seem familiar to anyone attuned to the political upheaval in the Middle East and North Africa. Entrenched incumbent regimes everywhere are under severe stress from advances in information technology, shifts in demographics, rising expectations, and the obsolescence of Cold War exigencies. In the absence of a willingness and ability to use violent repression, regime survival can be achieved only through concessions, accommodation, and periodic reinvention.
With 47 million voters and turnout at 75%, Thailand’s latest election results pose a decisive challenge to the country’s long-established regime. The Pheu Thai party, led by Yingluck Shinawatra, the youngest sister of exiled fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, secured a resounding triumph, winning 265 seats in the 500-member assembly, while the ruling Democrat Party mustered just 159.… Seguir leyendo »
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