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Thailand election 2023
Opinion
SCMP Editorial
SCMP Editorial

EditorialThai election must be new start to reform, not fresh turmoil

  • Country is now gripped by confusion and uncertainty with three parties claiming to be in a position to form a coalition government, and allegations the vote has been manipulated by the military

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Voters line up to cast their ballots at a polling station in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo: Bloomberg
SCMP Editorial
Thailand’s first general election since the army seized power almost five years ago was supposed to provide a new beginning for a nation torn between political allegiances. Instead, in the wake of the polls on Sunday, there is confusion and uncertainty after the election commission announced the pro-military Palang Pracharat party was winning the popular vote, although the democracy-supporting Pheu Thai party had the most seats in the lower house of parliament, then delayed giving further results. With the final outcome unlikely until May 9, after the inauguration of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, tensions are rising amid claims of incompetence and corruption. Cool heads are needed; the agitation being called for by some groups will only damage the country’s economy and image, and hamper chances for a return to genuine civilian-led rule.

Three parties claim to be in a position to form the next government: Pheu Thai, supported by rural voters and linked to self-exiled ousted former prime ministers Thaksin Shinawatra and his sister, Yingluck, which has so far taken 137 of the 500 seats; Palang Pracharat with 97 seats; and the outsider Future Forward party, with 80 seats. Neither can take power by itself, so a practical and immediate challenge is forming a coalition government. There are questions about the low turnout rate of 64 per cent and why a large number of votes were declared invalid. Thaksin, still in Hong Kong after the recent wedding of his daughter here, claims the vote has been manipulated by the military and commission. He is bound to have such views given the establishment’s efforts to keep him from office.

The regime, led by Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha, has created a political system under which it keeps a grip on policy. Only the 500 seats of the lower house of parliament are being chosen, the upper house, the 250-member Senate, will be hand-picked by the generals. Both houses choose the prime minister and Prayuth is the front-runner. A constitution approved by a referendum in 2017 gives wide-ranging powers to the military. It authorises the regime to produce a 20-year “national strategy” that elected lawmakers have no choice but to follow. Nor was the election a free and fair process, with freedom of expression curtailed, a ban on political parties lifted only in December, and criminal charges being filed against executives of anti-junta groups.
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There is understandable anger and frustration, but violence is not the solution. The commission’s impartiality is being questioned and it has to be transparent. Thailand’s growth and development have been affected by the military’s lacklustre performance. The election has to be the start of a new process of reform that reshapes politics and improves the economy and livelihoods.

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