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weatheriscool
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Thailand news and discussion

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Thailand opposition crushes military parties in election rout
BANGKOK, May 14 (Reuters) - Thailand's opposition secured a stunning election win on Sunday after trouncing parties allied with the military, setting the stage for a flurry of deal-making over forming a government in a bid to end nearly a decade of conservative, army-backed rule.

The liberal Move Forward party and the populist Pheu Thai Party were far out in front with 99% of votes counted, but it was far from certain either will form the next government, with parliamentary rules written by the military after its 2014 coup skewed in its favour.

To rule, the opposition parties will need to strike deals and muster support from multiple camps, including members of a junta-appointed Senate that has sided with military parties and gets to vote on who becomes prime minister and form the next administration.

Sunday's election was the latest bout in a long-running battle for power between Pheu Thai, the populist juggernaut of the billionaire Shinawatra family, and a nexus of old money, conservatives and military with influence over key institutions at the heart of two decades of turmoil.


https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-paci ... 023-05-13/
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Pita Limjaroenrat: Leading Thailand's political earthquake
BANGKOK: Few tipped him seriously as a likely prime minister, but Thai opposition leader Pita Limjaroenrat looks set to play a major role after voters rejected almost a decade of army-backed rule.

With most of the votes from Sunday's polls counted, Pita's radical Move Forward Party was leading the popular vote ahead of the more established opposition Pheu Thai party.

This represents an extraordinary achievement for a party whose forerunner was dissolved and its leader banned from politics.

The photogenic 42-year-old Pita has been a dynamic presence on the campaign trail, capitalising on his youth and energy to reach voters disillusioned and yearning for change after eight years of dour military-backed government.

"We will together rewrite Thai political history. Vote Move Forward, Thailand changes," he told ecstatic supporters at MFP's last rally in Bangkok on Friday.

The election is the first since major youth-led pro-democracy protests erupted across Bangkok in 2020 with demands to curb the power and spending of Thailand's king - breaching a long-held taboo on questioning the monarchy.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/pi ... ke-3488261
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Thailand news and discussions

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Thailand elections: Voters deliver stunning win for reform

4 hours ago

Thai voters have delivered a stunning verdict in favour of an opposition party that is calling for radical reform of the country's institutions.

Early results show Move Forward exceeding every prediction to win 151 of the 500 seats in the lower house.

It's now 10 seats ahead of what was the frontrunner, Pheu Thai, led by ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's daughter.

Analysts are calling this a political earthquake that represents a significant shift in public opinion.

It is also a clear repudiation of the two military-aligned parties of the current government, and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led a coup that ousted an elected government in 2014. The governing coalition won only 15% of the seats.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-65567781


Image
Social media is full of Thais taking "big steps" as a show of support for Move Forward
Image source, Courtesy @pimm_miezs2465
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caltrek
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Post by caltrek »

There is another thread that was started about Thailand that also begins with coverage of this election:

https://www.futuretimeline.net/forum/vi ... 18&t=3029
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Re: Thailand news and discussion

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Okay, I merged them.
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In Thailand, Political Uncertainty Remains
by Jacob Ricks
May 29, 2023

Introduction:
(East Asia Forum via Eurasia Review) There’s a Thai proverb — ‘flee a tiger only to find a crocodile’ — that describes a situation in Thai politics in the aftermath of this month’s elections aptly. After the progressive anti-junta Move Forward Party’s electoral victory on 14 May 2023, tigers and crocodiles abound.

In Thailand’s second general election since the 2014 coup, Move Forward captured the largest number of parliamentary seats (152) based on unofficial Election Commission (ECT) numbers, edging out its opposition ally Pheu Thai (141 seats).

The two parties’ combined 293 seats dominate the seats won by parties supporting the former junta chief-turned-prime minister General Prayut Chan-ocha and his ally General Prawit Wongsuwan. Their parties received much weaker support than expected, with only 36 and 40 seats respectively. For fans of Thai democracy, this was a long overdue win.

On 18 May, Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of Move Forward and its sole prime ministerial candidate, announced an agreement between eight parties to form a coalition government encompassing 313 parliamentarians. In most countries, this clear and convincing majority in the 500-seat lower house would provide an obvious mandate for Move Forward to form a government.

But not in Thailand

The article goes on to describe the difficulties Move Forward and Pheu Thai will have in forming a government because of rules insisted upon by the military elite of Thailand.

Read more here: https://www.eurasiareview.com/29052023 ... nalysis/
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Pita Limjaroenrat Suffers Twin Blows In Latest Effort To Become Prime Minister
by Nontarat Phaicharoen, Wilawan Watcharasakwej, and Kunnawut Boonreak
July 20, 2023

Introduction:
(Eurasia Review) Pita Limjaroenrat’s second bid to become Thailand’s next prime minister was struck down on Wednesday, with pro-royalist members of Parliament sinking his nomination not long after a court suspended him as a lawmaker.

The twin blows effectively squashed Pita’s bid to become Thailand’s first pro-democracy prime minister after nine years of rule by an administration with deep military ties dating to a coup in 2014.

After the order by the Constitutional Court was delivered to Parliament, Pita briefly addressed lawmakers before leaving the debating chamber to applause from MPs.

“I think Thailand has undergone a profound transformation and will never be the same again after May 14,” the 42-year-old said. “The people have already achieved a victory halfway through, with the other half remaining to be conquered.

“Although I can no longer fulfill my duties, I humbly request my fellow parliamentarians to persist in supporting one another in the service of our nation, thank you.”
Read more here: https://www.eurasiareview.com/20072023 ... come-pm/
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Post by caltrek »

To make sense of recent on election results for Thailand’s Assembly as reported in earlier posts in this thread, I needed to do a little research. As described in Wikipedia:
The Assembly is a bicameral legislature composed of a Senate and a House of Representatives. Combined, the Assembly has 750 members, 500 of which were elected directly through a general election (500 MPs in the lower house). Others include all 250 members of the Senate being appointed by the military. The majority of elections in Thailand follow the first-past-the-post system which is used in the elections for the 400 members of the House of Representatives. The remaining 100 members of the House are elected by party list proportional representation.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National ... ailand%29

Here is further commentary on how the electoral results are likely to play out in Thai politics:

Thailand’s Tectonic Political Shift
November 11, 2023

Extract:
(Eurasia Review) An ironic and unintended outcome is that the greatest benefactor of Thai elite post-election activities will likely be the MFP
(Move Forward Party).

The MFP will establish a strong position in the opposition, where they have been extremely effective over the previous four years. They have succeeded by transforming previously socio-economic issues into political issues. Comparing the MFP’s previous four years in opposition to the Democrats, the contrast is striking. The MFP managed to push controversial issues further than the Democrats managed to in 40 years. This is evident from the MFP’s submission of numerous proposed laws upon opening the parliamentary session.

The MFP will continue mainstreaming same-sex marriage, ending military conscription, ending liquor monopolies, exposing government corruption and addressing Chinese mafia operations in Thailand.

The MFP will likely receive abundant ammunition for targeting the government over corruption, cronyism and failed election promises. This will provide numerous opportunities to highlight the MFP’s core goals of demilitarisation, reducing monopolies and promoting decentralisation. The resulting media spotlight will likely benefit the MFP, strengthening its role as the opposition, garnering greater social support and broadening its voter base. This base will be reinforced by additional defectors from Pheu Thai who recognise that their party no longer represents the rural masses.
Without adjusting their stance on key electoral policies that endanger elite interests, the military, judiciary and existing institutional mechanisms will persist in removing influential obstacles. To maintain political influence, the MFP must develop a broad base of supporters across urban and rural constituencies, who can step up in elections or parliament when their predecessors are incarcerated. The MFP cannot risk becoming a party reliant on personalities. It must remain a party of values with a clear policy platform and a willingness to face challenge
Read more of the Eurasia Review article here: https://www.eurasiareview.com/11112023 ... nalysis/
Don't mourn, organize.

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