Showing 31 - 33 of 33
Make local polls priority
News, Editorial, Published on 15/11/2019
» For a prime minister who came to power as a by-product of the March general election, Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha seemed to find it difficult to resist the temptation of using that poll to justify his legitimacy to rule during his recent mobile cabinet meeting trip. But when it comes to setting dates for local polls, he has remained noncommittal and ruled out the need to accelerate the electoral process, which has been frozen for more than five years since he staged the 2014 coup.
The cabinet's composition and direction
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 19/07/2019
» With Thailand's new post-election cabinet members poised to to start work after being sworn in, it is instructive to look at how they have been assembled based on patron-client ties and vested interests. Because it contains unsavoury individuals with shady pasts, this cabinet is unlikely to last long but the political longevity of its leader, former junta chairman and still Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, may endure longer than many would expect from such a fragile, fractious coalition government.
Ukraine has nothing left to lose in latest vote
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 24/04/2019
» Ukraine has a new president, and he's a comedian! Oh, wait a minute, that's not such a big deal. Guatemala was the first country to elect a comedian as president: Jimmy Morales, back in 2015. Although Mr Morales turned sort of serious once he took office: he's a right-wing nationalist who supports the death penalty and opposes abortion. Whereas Volodymyr Zelensky hasn't turned.