Jakarta –
Registration for general election candidates in Thailand began to open on Monday, (03/04). In this contest, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha is believed to face tough competition from opposition parties.
The figure who came to power after a coup in 2014 risked the constitution guaranteeing military intervention in Thai politics. In particular, the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Paetongtarn, promised to reduce the influence of the generals if he won.
“Thailand needs someone with experience,” Prayut argued at an event for the United Thai Nations Party (UTN) in Bangkok. He referred to Paetongtarn’s age, which was 36 years old and why he was considered too young. “If they have never served,” Prayut continued, “then they cannot carry out their duties properly.”
The former junta head faces stiff competition from Paetongtarn. The electability rates of the two candidates are narrowly separated in almost every opinion poll.
Support for Prayut and UTN slumped under Paetongtarn and his party, the Pheu Thai, or Progressive Movement Party (led by Pita Limjaroenrat, another opposition figure).
The election on May 12 will be the first political contest since the youth protests in 2020 demanding political reform in Thailand.
But even though Prayut has the potential to lose the election, the military is still securing power through the constitution they drafted in 2017.
Because to become prime minister in Thailand, a candidate must not only dominate the 500-member parliament, but also secure a majority of the support of 250 military-appointed senators.
Constitutional betting
For Pheu Thai, victory alone is not enough. The Thai opposition must win a landslide if they don’t want to be tackled by the military as happened in 2019. At that time, Pheu Thai failed to form a government despite obtaining a majority in the elections.
Pheu Thai is the third incarnation of the party founded by Thaksin Shinawatra. In this election, they promised an amendment to the constitution to keep the military away from politics.
“It is impossible for Thailand to be democratic, as long as we still have an undemocratic constitution,” said Chusak Sirinin, deputy chairman of Pheau Thai, last week.
A similar promise was made by the Forward Movement Party led by Pita Limjaroenrat. He promised to hold a referendum to rewrite the constitution within the first 100 days in power.
The political momentum is not on Prayut’s side due to the economic downturn in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thailand is the only economy in Southeast Asia, outside of Myanmar, that has yet to fully recover.
According to the World Bank, Thailand’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is still lower than before the pandemic.
Paetongtarn, who is eight months pregnant, did not take part in the legislative elections because he was not required to be a candidate for prime minister. If successful, he will follow in the footsteps of his father and aunt Yingluck, whom Prayut overthrew in 2014.
rzn/gtp (ap.afp)
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