Opinion: How Thailand’s election undercuts the prospects for democracy
Thailand's junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha votes at a polling station in Bangkok in last month's general election. By Pavin Chachavalpongpun April 12 at 7:58 AM Pavin Chachavalpongpun is associate professor at Kyoto University’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies.
Yet the delay of the election results suggests that the military government of junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha is not ready to give up power any time soon. Preliminary figures show that the Pheu Thai Party, a proxy of ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, won the most parliamentary seats, making it eligible to form a coalition government.
As a result, it is more likely that Thailand could end up living with a new government run by pro-junta parties, with Prayuth returning as prime minister. Consequently, the military’s influence will remain undiminished. With the election failing to bring about a needed significant transition, Thailand is looking more like Myanmar, where the military has maintained its position of power in politics.
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