Government and politics are in such turmoil in Thailand that some citizens are even re-thinking its one-person-one vote democratic structure. International affairs columnist Jonathan Manthorpe looks at the history and recent reasons for clashes between the protesting “elites” and the rural voters who are behind its leadership. An excerpt of Manthorpe’s new column:
Not only Thailand’s generals, but also its judges, are manoeuvring to oust beleaguered Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from government. The Constitutional Court today provided a legal opening to postpone an election set for February 2, which Yingluck called to reaffirm her mandate after months of anti-government demonstrations, and which she would almost certainly win. There was, however, a slight hesitancy in the ruling of the Constitutional Court, unlike six years ago when it twice brought down governments loyal to Yingluck’s elder brother and former Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra ….
Read the column, Thailand’s PM Yingluck faces judicial as well as military coup, here.*
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