An Election Looms: What Are the Major Political Parties Offering Thais? [S6.E38]

In this show, Ed does his best to summarize the Thai political
parties contesting the upcoming elections, as well as their
various policy positions. As an overview, Ed notes a couple
general themes. One is the possible return to power of the Pheu
Thai party, the heir to the previous Thai Rak Thai party and
Shinawatra clan. Thai people are not entirely sure whether they
want to fully turn the page on the previous era in Thai politics,
and this election will do a lot to settle this issue. Second, the
populist handouts made famous (some would say infamous) by the
Thai Rak Thai party are now practiced essentially universally by
all parties, although the nature and extent of the 'benefits' may
differ. A winning electoral strategy (however 'infamous') IS in
fact a winning strategy, and none of the major parties have been
able to resist the allure of easy promises. 


Ed then does a quick run through of the six biggest parties in
Thailand. Three parties can be said to represent the Thai
establishment. The United Thai Nation party is a new party
created to carry the banner of the current Prime Minister. It is
thus conservative and nationalistic and represents a continuation
of current policies. The Palang Pracharath stands for roughly the
same things but offers a different former general as Prime
Minister. The Democrat Party is the oldest political party in
Thailand and represents the upper middle class elite of Bangkok,
as well as a strong faction in the South. 


Another three parties are anti-establishment, each in their own
way. The Bhuamjaithai party made its name promoting the
legalization of cannabis, and although they don't technically
support full recreational use, stand for a more liberal approach
to the popular herb. The Move Forward party is a Bangkok-based
progressive movement that makes the boldest claims for reforming
the Thai military as well as the strict lese majeste laws. And
finally, the aforementioned Pheu Thai largely represents the poor
rural population, especially farmers, and uses a more
socialist-style approach to managing the Thai economy.


While currently the anti-establishment parties are polling well,
it's anybody's guess if the winning party will be able to form a
coalition large enough to choose the Prime Minister. After nine
years of more or less military rule, however, this election will
for sure be consequential. 


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