Thailand general election fundamentally flawed: Human Rights Watch

[buksida]

How Thailand’s long wait compares with the world record for forming a new govt
Could Thailand break world record time for forming new govt?

Three months have passed since the May 14 general election, and Thailand’s next government is still nowhere in sight.

Waiting much longer could very well earn Thailand a place among countries that have suffered the biggest delays in forming governments after elections.

However, the kingdom is unlikely to match world record-holder Belgium, which waited almost two years (652 days) between 2019 and 2020 for a new government to be formed. Now though, Thailand is edging closer to Germany, which had been without a new government for about four months after a general election in September 2017.

https://www.thaipbsworld.com/how-thaila ... -new-govt/

I still reckon they should do nothing for the next 8-9 months and wait for the junta-appointed senate to lose its teeth.

[caller]

It seems PT are going to get into bed with the generals after all. Prawit has even said he is ready. Apparently the reaction of many PT supporters is not good, considering PT and the generals have been enemies for many years.

Interestingly, Khaosod English predicted this in an article from the 30th July.

Ironic to think it could be some redshirts protesting, and not MFP!

[buksida]

Ironic that the red shirts will be protesting against their own party which, it turns out, are a basket of snakes (no surprise there).

[STEVE G]

It doesn't take much reading of Thai history to realise that you need the generals onside to get into, or keep power.
Perhaps MFP couldn't afford them!

[caller]

It doesn't take much reading of Thai history to realise that you need the generals onside to get into, or keep power.
Perhaps MFP couldn't afford them!

I dont believe for one minute that you really believe MFP would want anything to do with them!

[STEVE G]

It seems that a deal might have been struck with the generals because there is a lot of talk of Thaksin returning tomorrow morning and a PT led coalition in the afternoon:
https://www.khaosodenglish.com/opinion/ ... -thailand/

[sateeb]

He's back!

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66577725

[PeteC]

8 years. 3 + 3 concurrently, and then 5, per the Supreme Court this afternoon. I'll post the link when it's published.

Assuredly there will be more "developments".

[buksida]

No fear, they'll all be on TV sipping sweet chocolate drinks together and swapping billion baht infrastructure contracts under the table in no time.

[PeteC]

8 years. 3 + 3 concurrently, and then 5, per the Supreme Court this afternoon. I'll post the link when it's published.

Assuredly there will be more "developments".

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/po ... or-thaksin

[STEVE G]

No surprises here:
Srettha Thavisin wins vote to become Thailand’s 30th prime minister
https://apnews.com/article/thailand-pol ... 2985088d64

[buksida]

Good article in the Guardian about this farce ...

The Guardian view on Thaksin’s return to Thailand: dodgy deals can’t replace democracy
With enemies like this, who needs friends? After years of mutual loathing, coups, chaos and even bloodshed, the fight between Thailand’s military-royalist establishment and controversial former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has ended – for now – in a seismic new deal. The exiled tycoon flew back from self-imposed exile on Tuesday thanks to an unacknowledged political bargain with the army that ousted him. His ally Srettha Thavisin, of the Pheu Thai party, became prime minister on the same day with the support of military-backed parties, breaking the months of deadlock that followed May’s election – and ending a decade of military rule.

...

This deal cannot be the basis for successful or even stable government. The Thai population is once again sidelined while those at the top play power games. Yet it has long been clear that such politicking cannot erase the nation’s underlying transformation. Thailand’s people deserve better – and increasingly, they are demanding it.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... -democracy

[Big Boy]

Off subject slightly................... I've just been watching the new PM on Thai News. What a giant of a man for a Thai. Mrs BB says oh that's because he studied in America . Too many hot dogs?

[STEVE G]

At least the various Thaksin controlled governments have been reasonably competent with the economy, particularly with recovery from the Asian currency crisis of the late nineties.
That might be important with the Chinese economy teetering on the brink and the regional contagion that would follow a collapse.

[caller]

At least the various Thaksin controlled governments have been reasonably competent with the economy, particularly with recovery from the Asian currency crisis of the late nineties.
That might be important with the Chinese economy teetering on the brink and the regional contagion that would follow a collapse.

But it's not really a Thaksin Government is it. They then had an absolute majority. Now they are in a minority in their own coalition. If Srettha is brought down, as could well happen, who will be the next PM?