Last Sunday Thailand held a much-anticipated election, but critics say no matter the result, the outcome will have little impact on the country’s current political turmoil. On March 22, 2019, the Friday before the election, reporter Stephen Wright of the Associated Press published an article titled “Thailand’s new government could be unstable, short-lived,” detailing the negligible effect this transition is likely to have on the country’s overall unrest.
The article, quoting Professor John Ciorciari, has been picked up by more than 300 news outlets, including The Seattle Times, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
Ciorciari is quoted warning about the Pheu Thai party’s ability to actually hold governmental power, stating that “If Pheu Thai does reach the number needed to form a new government, it is unclear how the military leadership would respond,” ending by stating that “Regardless of the election result, it is unlikely to put an end to Thailand’s protracted political crisis.”
Read the piece here. A longer quote was initially made available to the media by Michigan News.