By Prachatai |
<p>2019 is counted as the year when the arc of Thai politics was most striking since it was a time of transition from the ‘dark era’ under almost 5 years of the NCPO to the ‘hazy era’ after the election (which had been postponed 6 times) under the 2017 Constitution whose complicated design locked politics into a multilayered parliamentary system, and the Future Forward Party emerged to strongly challenge the old system.</p>
By Prachatai |
<p>On the night of 5 June, as MPs and senators were called up one by one to cast their vote to choose a Prime Minister, Bhumjaithai’s Sisaket MP Siripong Angkasakulkiat chose to abstain from voting rather than following his party whip and vote for Gen Prayut. </p>
By Prachatai |
<p>A number of Future Forward MPs revealed in a press conference today that they have been offered 30 – 120 million baht each to vote for Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha as Prime Minister.</p>
By Prachatai |
<p>The Future Forward Party has now gained one additional seat in parliament following a re-election in Chiang Mai’s Constituency 8, after FFP candidate Srinuan Boonlue won in a landslide. But due to the ECT's method of calculation, PPRP and Democrat also gained a seat each. </p>
By Prachatai |
<p>Both the Democrat Party and the Bhumjaithai Party have now taken a step back from joining a government led by Phalang Pracharat. </p>
By Prachatai |
<p>The Election Commission of Thailand (ECT) has requested the Constitutional Court to suspend Future Forward party leader Thanathorn Juangroonruangkit from parliament, after accusing him of holding shares in a media company.</p>
By Thareerat Laohabut |
<p>Friedrich Hegel, the German philosopher, once said “the only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history”. With regard to Thai political history, I cannot deny that this quotation expresses one of the “all-time” brutal truths. It is clearly true that most Thai people have never learned any political lessons in Thai history. They have not only made no democratic progress but have also strengthened the authoritarian rhetoric peace-making to repeatedly disrupt democracy by undertaking a series of coups.</p>
