Thailand Elections 2007 Update

Bangkok Pundit Live Blogging the Thai Election 2007
PPP will be disappointed by their performance in Bangkok, but will be pleased by their performance in the Central Region and their dominance in the Northeast. The Democrats will be pleased by their performance in Bangkok and on the party vote. All the other parties will be disappointed. I think the PPP's poor performance in Bangkok is a problem for both Chalerm and Samak as they were expected to increase the PPP vote. Polls suggested they would too. While the votes were quite close in many constituencies, a loss is a loss.

Actually, Samak sounds quite articulate in English. A Samak-hater has passed on a message to me that the are surprised as to who good Samak sounds when talking in English.

The Dems see the writing on the wall on their chances of being in government, but I don't think they should be too disappointed as they have done much better than expected. They could even top PPP on the party vote. After 2005, PPP didn't form a coalition government. This timed they are forced to, but it might help them anyway.

The Farang Speaks 2 Much
Election time. Vote now - vote often. Also, don’t drink and vote. However - this is not the important news of the day. What is really important right now is sorting out if McDonald’s has really ceased their recently kicked off breakfast menu. Yes. Only 4 months ago we broke the lead that McDonald’s was beginning to serve a limited but real breakfast menu. Not the Big Breakfast. Not the coveted Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit but at least a proper Sausage McMuffin with Egg. A tasty morsel that when timed with the onset of a proper hangover can help make life here in Thailand just a little more perfect than it already is. I can’t confirm if the destruction is citywide but based on early morning spot checks it seems that coupled with the ushering in of democracy, Thailand has bid farewell to breakfast the Golden Arches way.

Jotman on the Elections and the Rural Poor
The names of the two most powerful and popular figures in Thailand will not be on the ballots today. Yet the outcome of the election will largely be determined by the one segment of the population which is most loyal to both these men.

Although it could well be argued that the popularity of HM the King is incomparably vaster, the core constituencies of the deposed prime minister and the reigning sovereign overlap considerably.

I'm talking about the rural poor.*

The two most powerful men in Thailand approach this group -- which comprises the vast majority of the Thai population -- very differently; their respective visions for rural Thailand differ immensely.

The first vision, espoused by Thai royalists, is the notion of the happy peasantry -- uncorrupted by global consumerist culture, absolutely loyal to the monarchy which protects them. This view of the Thai countryside is captured by the term "Sufficiency Economy." It's a philosophy espoused by HM the King. The path to this ends is sometimes referred to as "Thai-style democracy."

The second vision, that of the deposed populist Prime Minister, views Thailand's poor as future consumers and entrepreneurs. It sees them as members of a rudimentary welfare state which extends to them low-interest loans and medical insurance.

The basic question of Thailand today, underlying the coup -- underlying today's election -- is whether poor rural voters are full and equal participants in government. Shortly after the 2006 coup, University of Michigan historian Thongchai Winichakul wrote:

New Mandala on Samak's Political Amnesty via The Manager
One hundred and eleven ex-executives of the dissolved Thai Rak Thai party will be granted amnesty Samak Sundaravej announced two and a half an hour after the election votes have been counted. Samak told CNN that he plans to grant amnesty to the executive members of the TRT party and allow the ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to fight against the lawsuit in Thailand.

When asked why his People Power party earnt fewer votes in Bangkok, Samak refused to answer. He pointed out that according to the poll, his party acquires majority vote from all over the country. ‘The voters are confident in the capability of the ex-PM former staffs to help recover the economic downfall,’ said Samak. He also added that the military will accept the election result and denied the rumours of another coup if the PPP party wins the election.

Samak refused to give any details about the parties to join the coalition government saying that the discussion will be pursued after the formal announcement of the election result.

Red and White at Real Life Thailand on the Samak Victory
"You smack me and I'll smack you back"
To corruption investigators

"Did you have sinful sex last night?"
In the holy language of Sanskrit, to a journalist

After the Thammasat Massacre of 1976, Samak happily ordered the banning of some 200 plus books that were a ....yep, you guessed it......."threat to national security".

One of his close aides in the party is Chalerm Yoobamrung.

The thoughts of Anek Laothamatas ring loudly in my ears. I find it hard to keep hope, but it is the rape of democracy that got us here in the first place.Now the people have given the biggest possible middle finger to the military and their aides (hidden or not) , but in doing so, have given the military a perfect incentive for another ku. they have elected the most arrogant, incompetent and "allegedly" corrupt proxy possible. Thaksin without any of the intelligence.

So Thailand faces four years under this man - as well as Thaksin getting away scot free for his crimes and being welcomed back as a hero - or the army and other forces (who cannot be named despite their role in this farce) wait for the PPP to show their corruptness and incompetence and then stage another coup to take us back to stage one.

Is there any way out? Only if a coalition is formed between ALL the opposition parties.