Vicarius
Is the "democracy" in Thailand the general impression the world has of democracy?
Maybe that's not the best way to phrase the question...
I'm just confused...why don't they just vote the person out at the next election? It just seems like Parliaments...the people don't wait for the cycle to complete itself, if they want an election today by someone's god they're going to get it or something's going to burn...
Even if the government decided to hold elections what's to stop protestors/rioters for calling for newer ones the following week?
Originally Posted by Copperknickers
Dux Limitis
Re: Is the "democracy" in Thailand the general impression the world has of democracy?
cuz it isn't a democracy with rule of law. The army is still not ruled by a civilian government and thailand today is technically a post-coup regime. Not to mention the royal house meddles with politics heavily together with the army and the elites. I bet brits would take it to the streets too if the Queen and british army had a coup and appointed a new PM against the wish of the majority of the population. Simply put, Thailand "democracy" has little democratic institution; it is still heavily ruled by the elites with little respect to the rule of law. So don't expect the majority of commoners, who are being screwed here by the elites, to play by the rule either.
Have a question about China? Get your answer here.
Vicarius
Re: Is the "democracy" in Thailand the general impression the world has of democracy?
So there wasn't an election? If there was, why did people vote for the current PM in the first place? If there wasn't, why are people screaming for new ones?
What I'm trying to understand is even if new elections were held and the people got their choice for PM...if for some strange reason they [the people] aren't happy with this person a couple of months from now are they going to demand another election? If they don't get them will they go back into the streets?
Dux Limitis
Re: Is the "democracy" in Thailand the general impression the world has of democracy?
the current dude is appointed by the military who took over a few years ago. People voted for the old guy, who got kicked out by the military for corruption (though more likely cuz the elites hated him cuz he was a populist).
exactly. The democratic institution is weak there, so is rule of law. Though it is unlikely they would have reaction like they have now if they picked a loser....the primary reason is that the PM was appointed by the generals against the wish of the majority.
Have a question about China? Get your answer here.
Domesticus
Re: Is the "democracy" in Thailand the general impression the world has of democracy?
To answer your question...
No it isn't
Senator
Re: Is the "democracy" in Thailand the general impression the world has of democracy?
Actually, the current PM was elected in. Initially his party didn't have enough seats to form a government, so he had to be the Opposition. However, the Party that was able to form the government (the same party as the former PM who was kicked out by the military) was found to be guilty of corruption, so the party was disbanded by the judiciary. Elections were held for those seats that were then available, and still the current government party didn't have enough seat to form a majority government. However, when a former ally of the former government party changed to support the current government party, they were able to form this current coalition government.
The protesters who are calling for an election believed that the elitists and the military worked together to successfully accuse the first government party (post-coup) of corruption and therefore, were able to install their man as the current PM.
In terms of democratic process though, this current government is perfectly legitimate.
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