Election Update

40 parties fielded candidates in the Thai election held on Sunday. Of these, only 11 were able to gain any seat in the Parliament.

Pheu Thai won 265 seats and holds a firm majority for government with the support of four minor parties, having 299 seats in the new Parliament. One of these parties, the Mahachon Party, has only one seat.

Abhisit, the leader of the deposed Democrats has stood down as leader. He was the Prime Minister but his government was never elected by the people. The Democrats had won government through a parliamentary vote.

In following post-election commentaries, I see that there are some major lessons being named from this election. These include:
1) The people want to elect their own government and not have it chosen for them by politicians or other elites.
2) Politicians and political forces cannot operate divorced from the people.
3) The people want politicians who will act for the good of all people in Thailand.
4) All people want to enjoy the benefits of their society and not just see them enjoyed by the few.
5) The established power bases of Thai society need to recognise that the general Thai population is saying they want their voice to be heard and respected in Thailand and not have decisions made for them by powerful others.