2017 Constitution


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
Prayut Has Retired, but His Undemocratic Legacy Will Live On
Posted On July 13, 2023
In a span of hours yesterday, two events shook Thailand’s political landscape. First, after more than nine years in power, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha formally announced his retirement from politics and resigned as head of the United Thai Nation Party (UTNP), ending an era that began with a military coup against the democratically-elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra in 2014. Second, Thailand’s Election Commission (EC) has sought the Constitutional Court’s ruling on whether Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of the Move Forward Party (MFP), is qualified to sit in parliament due to his past ownership of shares in the defunct broadcaster iTV. Until that time, the EC has suspended Pita from his MP duties, even though the vote for prime minister will still occur tomorrow (July 13).
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Southeast Asia  / Thailand
Who rules Thailand, the military or the monarchy?
November 16, 2020

In Thailand’s turbulent politics, old political taboos are being shattered and the once off-limits monarchy is being subject to public criticism. Youth-led protesters are targeting 10 specific areas of government and monarchical reforms, demanding the removal of Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, but curbs on King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s unchecked power. With institutional reforms to the monarchy now the talk of the country, questions should naturally surface about where power lies. What would a diminished monarchy mean for Thailand’s military? These questions are critical for protesters as they formulate potential negotiations – if possible – with authorities. For some observers, it is like the proverbial “chicken or the egg” question, with both options symbiotically linked together. Inseparable.


Southeast Asia  / Thailand
Thailand’s Generals, As Usual, Fail to Understand Democracy
October 8, 2020

When new Royal Thai Army chief General Narongpan Jittkaewtae took his post on Oct. 1, he and military commander-in-chief General Chalermpol Srisawat made a point to discourage the press and the public to assume that another coup d’etat was in the works and to reiterate that Thailand had transitioned back into democracy. When prompted by a reporter, Narongpan exclaimed, “How is it not a democracy?” The failure to acknowledge the role of the military in orchestrating past coups and the present complement of military officials that populate Thailand’s Parliament reveals something emblematic and problematic with Thailand’s generals — they lack a fundamental understanding of democracy and the many lessons of modern Thai history.