Global Courant 2023-05-02 02:00:00
5. Bread-and-butter issues take center stage
Bread-and-butter issues feature prominently in campaign pledges as inflation and high household debt have weighed on Thailand’s post-pandemic economic recovery.
Most of the parties are promising welfare programs, such as raising the minimum wage and pension benefits, debt restructuring and price guarantees for agricultural commodities.
The Pheu Thai Party’s high-profile election pledge to pay 10,000 baht via digital wallet to every citizen aged 16 and over has already come under scrutiny, with critics calling it extreme populism.
The state of democracy has become a focus for those in the opposition camps who oppose military intervention in politics.
But Mr Prawit, whose PPRP led the outgoing coalition government, is raising himself as a force for political reconciliation. The military who was part of the post-coup government is also trying to position itself as a unifying force that stands for democracy.
Rewriting the current 2017 junta-backed constitution is one of the key election promises pushed by anti-coup parties such as Move Forward and the Thai Sang Thai Party, led by former politician Sudarat Keyuraphan.
6. First elections since youth protests
All eyes will be on how Thailand’s younger generations vote as this will be the first election since the 2020 youth-led protests that called for controversial amendments to the constitution and the status of the monarchy.
The move sparked a significant change in Thai political discourse, sparking discussions about reforming strict lèse-majesté laws that protect the royal institution from insult.
However, only the Move Forward party, popular among younger voters, has been clear in its commitment to push for amendments in this area.
Other parties have steered clear of this issue.
The bulk of the vote will be with those under 42 years of age. This group makes up just over 40 percent of the 52 million, with Gen Z (ages 18 to 26) accounting for about 13 percent and Gen Y (ages 27 to 26). 42) accounted for about 29 percent.
The Gen X group (ages 43-58) makes up a third of the electorate.
Together, the baby boom generation (ages 55 to 77) and the oldest age group, the silent generation (ages 78 to 98), make up about 26 percent.
A recent Rangsit University survey, which surveyed those aged 18 to 26, found that Move Forward’s prime ministerial candidate, Mr. prime minister.
Ms. Paetongtarn of Pheu Thai was second with 23 percent and Mr. Prayut of UTN scored only 3.3 percent.
7. Prayut’s two-year limit
The current constitution imposes an eight-year term on each person who is prime minister. Under these rules, Mr Prayut can only remain Prime Minister for two more years.
The former coup leader came to power in 2014 as head of a junta government after toppling the Pheu Thai government.
And while opponents claimed Mr Prayut’s term expired in 2022 and sought to have him removed from office last year, the Constitutional Court ruled that his term did not begin until 2017, when the current constitution came into effect.
If he returns as prime minister after the 2023 elections, Mr Prayut said UTN party leader Pirapan Salirathavibhaga will succeed him for the remaining two years he is barred from the prime ministership.
