For the past few months, Thai politics have been in a bit of a turmoil. It started with protests, that escalated into the prime minister stepping down and dissolving the government. The protests continued, demanding reforms before any election. There was an election last month, however it had some issues. Things have continued to be somewhat unstable and there are a lot of unanswered questions about the political future of Thailand. Here’s a run down.
The protest sites in Bangkok have been consolidated to a couple of locations. The majority of intersections that were previously blockaded have been cleared, some by choice and some at the hands of the police. Additionally the number of protesters in general has fallen.
A second day for voting happened, for places that had their polls shut down by protestors. From what I can tell, it did not include locations that were unable to have anyone register for the February 2 election, and those municipalities are still being figured out.
A new “red-shirt,” pro-Yingluck leader has stepped up to take lead the supporters. He lead the protestors in 2010, which lead to a massacre of over 90 people. The shooting was ordered by Suthep, the main leader of the protestors and opposition. Jatuporn Prompan leads the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship and has promised a “big fight” if Yingluck were removed, but has also said that they will remain peaceful and have ruled out violence.
Yingluck is facing corruption charges, and possibly ultimately impeachment, because of her spearheading the rice subsidy program. A fraction of the money promised to farmers has recently been allocated, but there is still general unhappiness with the prime minister and her party for the handling of this, even among areas that strongly supported her and her brother in the past. The decision about her fate is expected in the next couple of days. If she is removed, her replacement would be decided by the Senate, which is not entirely elected and the opposition holds the majority.
The state of emergency was lifted earlier this week.
The baht has been losing value as the number of tourists has fallen and other businesses been hurt by the protests. The central bank has reevaluated and rereleased their growth expectations for the year, to 2.7 percent from a previously forecasted 3 and 4 percent.
Today, the Constitutional Court ruled 6-3 that the recent election was unconstitutional because it did not take place on one day. The Election Commission is projecting at least 3 months to organize a new election and has two options for setting a new date: issue a royal decree or ask the political parties to decide on one. The Democrat Party, a major force behind the protests, had refused to participate in the last election date, but may take part in a new election.