Source:
https://scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3001153/thai-election-parties-jostle-votes-selling-economic-promises-andPolitics
Thai election: parties jostle for votes by selling economic promises – and snubbing the junta
- Campaigning is in high gear ahead of the March 24 polls but there’s no reaction to the dissolution of Thai Raksa Chart, which picked a princess as its PM candidate
- Instead, there is a fierce debate about how the military should stay out of politics after the country votes
Candidates for the pro-military Palang Pracharat Party in front of a picture of current Thai prime minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha during a rally. Photo: AFP
Campaigning for junta-ruled Thailand’s first election since the 2014 coup has kicked into high gear two weeks ahead of the vote, as pro-democracy contenders spar over the nitty-gritty of rival economic policies and the title of being the furthest removed from the current military rulers.
The one issue on most commentators’ lips, however, did not feature in the intensified hustings – last week’s dissolution of a party linked to the powerful Shinawatra clan over its abortive pick of King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s sister as a prime ministerial candidate.