Samak (Thai PM) OUT!

[opebo]

Particularly check out the part I have bolded at the bottom.

Samak Sundaravej has ended his bid to return to power as Thailand's prime minister, officials said Friday, after a revolt within the ruling party torpedoed his re-election in parliament.

Lawmakers from the ruling six-party coalition failed to show up to re-elect Samak as prime minister during an emergency session of parliament Friday, three days after a court stripped him of office over his TV cooking shows.

"Prime minister Samak asked me to deliver the message that he has done his best as the party leader to preserve democracy. Now his role has come to an end, and everything is now up to the party," his personal secretary Theeraphol Noprampha told reporters.

An aide to Samak told AFP on condition of anonymity that the ex-premier had agreed to step aside for another candidate to seek the post, and to resign as party leader.

"Samak will decline his nomination. Later he will resign as party leader," the aide said.

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) will now be forced to find a compromise candidate before Wednesday, when parliament has scheduled a new vote.

Samak's decision to bow out less than nine months after his victory in general elections seemed certain to embolden protesters who have besieged the prime minister's office for more than two weeks in a campaign to force out him and his cabinet.

The fiery-tongued 73-year-old has been a leading figure in Thai politics for three decades, with stints as deputy prime minister and governor of Bangkok.

He has stared down street protests and court challenges before, but was forced from office Tuesday when the Constitutional Court ruled that he had illegally accepted payments for hosting two TV cooking shows.

The verdict did not bar him from politics, and the PPP leadership had moved quickly to restore him to power.

But the move proved unpopular with at least two of PPP's coalition partners, and nearly one-third of the party's own lawmakers refused to back his re-election Friday.

Political analysts said that PPP could now face a challenge in finding a candidate to replace the combative Samak, one of the few politicians in Thailand willing to openly confront top figures in the palace and the military.

"The PPP's dilemma right now is that if it's not Samak, there's no one else in that league," political analyst Thitinan Pognsudhirak said.

Anti-government protesters representing Thailand's traditional elite stormed into the prime minister's official compound more than two weeks ago.

The protesters have occupied the grounds of the offices ever since, pressing their call for Samak and his government to step down, claiming that Samak is a proxy for ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

The protest group, which calls itself the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), also spearheaded protests against Thaksin in 2006, leading to the military coup that toppled him.

Thaksin now lives in exile in Britain to evade corruption charges, which he says are politically motivated.

Despite his exile, Thaksin still casts a long shadow over Thai politics.

The PPP said Thaksin, who personally tapped Samak to lead his supporters in last December's elections, had been consulted about the re-nomination.

The protesters have already vowed to rally for the ouster of any prime minister drawn from the ranks of the PPP.

The activists are also pushing a broader agenda to scale back Thailand's democracy by reducing the influence of poor, rural voters, who gave Thaksin steadfast support for providing universal health care and low-interest loans.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Ah yes. The TV chef.

The activists are also pushing a broader agenda to scale back Thailand's democracy by reducing the influence of poor, rural voters, who gave Thaksin steadfast support for providing universal health care and low-interest loans.

Thai politics really is disgusting.

[Хahar 🤔]

What now?

[opebo]

What now?

My previous thread 'Thai Ree-ots' might help explain:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=81514.msg1686424#msg1686424

[Хahar 🤔]

What now?

My previous thread 'Thai Ree-ots' might help explain:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=81514.msg1686424#msg1686424

So a continued lack of stability?

Generally, this sort of thing doesn't happen under a stable monarchy. I'm surprised the King has never seized control.

[Jake]

I'm surprised the King has never seized control.

Uh, seriously? What do you think happened two falls ago?

[minionofmidas]

I'm surprised the King has never seized control.

Uh, seriously? What do you think happened two falls ago?

I think he meant long term.

The answer of course is that the tourist industry would not survive.

[opebo]

I'm surprised the King has never seized control.

Uh, seriously? What do you think happened two falls ago?

I think he meant long term.

The answer of course is that the tourist industry would not survive.

Actually the tourists and foreign investors would love if he 'seized control', as they would find it easy to convince themselves this would be 'stability'.

However it should be noted that while he is quite powerful, and influential, he is really more the public face or representative of the most powerful segment of society.  The wealthy, conservative elite and he are in a symbiotic relationship - its not as if he really controls them.  What has happened, as far as I can tell, is that as the country has become extremely economically advanced - nearly 'developed' compared to any other Southeast Asian country, there has arisen a new wealthy elite that is less feudal than the old, and more based on 'economic progress' than feudal stasis.  This group threatens the previous monopoly on power by the old guard, and is willing to engage in the pretense of populism to win elections and so forth.  Interestingly the main 'mass' support for the Old Guard, if 10-20% of the population can be called a mass, is the bureaucratic middle class, mostly in Bangkok but also in provincial centers everywhere (the Southern support is a detail which has more to do with regional resentments than class issues, imo).

It is funny that this struggle, which took place in the West around, what, 1780s-1860s, is contemporary here in 2008! 

But that explains to a T what is so appealing about Thailand - when one visits here, one is visiting the last vestiges of the wonderful eighteenth century (and earlier), and can escape the horrors of the modern moralistic world.

My only personal comment is - It is almost unbelievably pleasing that the Old Way is still, for the moment winning!

[minionofmidas]

I'm surprised the King has never seized control.

Uh, seriously? What do you think happened two falls ago?

I think he meant long term.

The answer of course is that the tourist industry would not survive.

Actually the tourists and foreign investors would love if he 'seized control', as they would find it easy to convince themselves this would be 'stability'.

In the short run.
A longterm military dictatorship would not end up being particularly safe and stable to travel in.

Besides, he's very old.

A lot of what you're saying is obviously quite accurate, btw.

[minionofmidas]

I'm also struck by the parallels (and differences too) with Turkey.

[Cubby]

The Economist referred to Samak as "a ferocious right-winger".

Thaksin's base was in the rural areas and small towns. Who do the urban poor in Bangkok support?

Samak Sundaravej has ended his bid to return to power as Thailand's prime minister, officials said Friday, after a revolt within the ruling party torpedoed his re-election in parliament.

That's a better picture of him than the first one I saw. He's a scary looking man in some photos.

[Hash]

Samak Sundaravej has ended his bid to return to power as Thailand's prime minister, officials said Friday, after a revolt within the ruling party torpedoed his re-election in parliament.

That's a better picture of him than the first one I saw. He's a scary looking man in some photos.

His Wikipedia picture is horrible.

[opebo]

The Economist referred to Samak as "a ferocious right-winger".

Thaksin's base was in the rural areas and small towns. Who do the urban poor in Bangkok support?

Samak has always been an extreme rightwinger.. he was even implicated in some of the slaughters of leftist students in the seventies.  His allegiance to Thakson perhaps shows how right-wing that ostensible populist actually was.

As for the Bangkok poor, they are mostly just working in Bangkok sometimes for years, transient from Isaan and the North.  They generally have to vote back in their hometowns as it is somewhat discouraged to change ones voting registration.  Most 'real Bangkokians', or permanent residents are above poor to even middle class, and they firmly support the opposition (mostly the Democrats).

By the way it is interesting how rarely one runs across a really poor person here.. the place is a booming country.  Also the traditional rural lifestyle is, in my opinion, disappearing as people are integrated into the capitalist threshing machine for humans.

[Hash]

The '07 map:

[opebo]

Thanks for the map Hasemites.. keep in  mind thats by province.. doesnt show individual constityencies.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

There constituency maps over on Adam Carr's site; http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/t/thailand/thailandmapindex2007.shtml

[minionofmidas]

The '07 map:

Interesting to see the drop in Democrat margins in the Muslim South... strong third parties showing I suppose, with no more love for PPP than just to the north?

[Hash]

Al's maps indicate that the PPP won 2 seats down south (Yala and Narathiwat). "For the Motherland" and "Thai Nation" also won seats.

[Dan the Roman]

What now?

My previous thread 'Thai Ree-ots' might help explain:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=81514.msg1686424#msg1686424

So a continued lack of stability?

Generally, this sort of thing doesn't happen under a stable monarchy. I'm surprised the King has never seized control.

Worked out well for the king of Nepal.

[opebo]

Al's maps indicate that the PPP won 2 seats down south (Yala and Narathiwat). "For the Motherland" and "Thai Nation" also won seats.

Yeah I have no idea what's going on in those Muslim provinces.. it seems very strange that anyone there would support PPP.   

The Democrat party dominates the South, outside of those provinces.  Certainly outside of those three southern provinces (Yala, Narathiwat, Pattani) the South is just as Buddhist-dominated, at least electorally, as any other part of Thailand, even though there are often maybe 10 or 20 per cent muslims around.

[minionofmidas]

Al's maps indicate that the PPP won 2 seats down south (Yala and Narathiwat). "For the Motherland" and "Thai Nation" also won seats.

Yeah I have no idea what's going on in those Muslim provinces.. it seems very strange that anyone there would support PPP.   

The Democrat party dominates the South, outside of those provinces.  Certainly outside of those three southern provinces (Yala, Narathiwat, Pattani) the South is just as Buddhist-dominated, at least electorally, as any other part of Thailand, even though there are often maybe 10 or 20 per cent muslims around.

They had no reason to like Thai Rak Thai, but then they have no reason to like the Traditional Elites either. The coup should have made Thaksin more popular there.

[opebo]

They had no reason to like Thai Rak Thai, but then they have no reason to like the Traditional Elites either. The coup should have made Thaksin more popular there.

Possibly.  Many Thai muslims who are not radicalized still do have some fondness for the king - they see him as a moderating influence.  But I think maybe they are hostile to the Democrat party because it is the party of their Buddhist neighbors - the ones who they have direct resentments against.  Buddhists hundreds of miles away in Isaan or the North really aren't the ones they have a problem with.

[Erc]

I am always reminded of Second Republic France by the last couple years in Thailand...the mobs in Paris Bangkok throwing out, or attempting to throw out, some unpopular government...and when democracy is restored, the rural areas proceed to vote very similar folks back in...

(And that's not even mentioning the cheap credit problem, which makes the parallels even more amusing).

[opebo]

(And that's not even mentioning the cheap credit problem, which makes the parallels even more amusing).

What cheap credit problem?

[Хahar 🤔]

I am always reminded of Second Republic France by the last couple years in Thailand...the mobs in Paris Bangkok throwing out, or attempting to throw out, some unpopular government...and when democracy is restored, the rural areas proceed to vote very similar folks back in...

(And that's not even mentioning the cheap credit problem, which makes the parallels even more amusing).

Ah, now that's good.