More than a year after Thailand got rid of PM Thaksin by military coup, it's time for elections. Exciting. And also weird because it is the democratic process as we know it in the west, but with a Thai twist of course.
It is said some people just vote what their boss tells them to. It is said entire villages simply get bought to vote for a particular candidate. It is said that mobsters are making more money than ever because all of the people other people want bumped off. Colorful to say the least. But that's not what makes this interesting for me. It's the parties and the fact that they don't seem matter all that much. Here they are:
Democrat party
Chart Thai party
Matchima Thipataya party
People Power party
Pracharaj party
Puea Paendin party
Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana party
Long story short: the first two are major parties of their own. The rest is all either made up of Thaksin's former Thai Rak Thai-party-members or small potatoes. And the People Power Party even has Thaksin in the wings as an advisor.
That's not why the parties don't matter much however. It's that Thai people don't really seem to care about party policies. They favor somebody local they know in some way, that will hopefully make a difference for them. 'I know his second sister's daughter's son-in-law, they're good honest people.' That type of deal.
Who's winning: check it out here (if they don't take it away like last time)
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