good question huh?

The election won’t be free and fair but it could be highly consequential for the country and the region.

Southeast Asia’s autocrats still want electoral legitimacy: it’s a paradox that’s particularly clear in the intentions of Myanmar’s junta and Cambodia’s strongman ruler HE to hold elections. Yet Thailand’s election, to be held on 14 May, is different to these. While the contest is stacked in favour of conservative elites, there is a genuine element of contestability in this poll.

Thailand’s current government, a military-backed conservative coalition, has ruled since the last election in 2019, with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at the helm. Remarkably, Prayut has now ruled Thailand for nearly a decade since he led a military coup against the Yingluck Shinawatra government in May 2014. A military-drafted constitution, which gave a large unelected senate a say in appointing the prime minister, helped him remain in power after the 2019 election, though his party was not the most popular.

full story:
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-inter ... ion-matter

Legal weed is on the ballot;
Keep it as it is
Ban recreational
ONLY medical

whose running?
A new mother, a Harvard grad and a coup leader:

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Pheu Thai
Paetongtarn was a university student when her father, Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand’s most popular and polarising prime minister, was ousted in a coup. Eight years later, her aunt was ousted. Paetongtarn, 36, is the latest member of the family to run for office.

Pita Limjaroenrat, Move Forward
Pita Limjaroenrat, 43, is leader of the progressive opposition party Move Forward, which is hugely popular among young people who want democratic reforms. Move Forward is the only party to commit to pushing for reform of Thailand’s strict lese majesty law, under which criticising the monarchy is punishable with up to 15 years in jail.

Prayuth Chan-ocha, United Thai Nation
The incumbent prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former army chief who first took power in a coup in 2014, is allowed to serve only until 2025, according to the constitution. But, despite this, he is campaigning for re-election under a new political party, United Thai Nation.

Prawit Wongsuwan, Palang Pracharath
Prawit Wongsuwan was, until recently, a close ally of Prayuth, and part of the junta that took power in 2014. But he has sought to distance himself from those times. Last year, he raised eyebrows by denying in parliament that he had been an architect of the coup and instead pointing to Prayuth, saying: “I give you the coup maker. Here he is.”

Anutin Charnvirakul, Bhumjaithai
Anutin, the health minister, is known for having championed the decriminalisation of cannabis. He says the legalisation – which has led to neon weed signs across downtown Bangkok – is proof he can get things done. But the legalisation has proved controversial among conservatives and health figures, who say it was rushed through without proper rules in place. A bill to regulate the industry is yet to be passed.

Full story:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/ ... candidates