Thailand: Abhisit ‘won’t back’ Prayut return as PM

  • Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva took a political stance on 10 Mar 19 against Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha returning to power as prime minister after the 24 Mar 19 election, drawing instant criticism from both the anti-regime Pheu Thai Party and the pro-regime Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP).
  • Mr Abhisit uploaded a brief video clip, lasting 33 seconds, on his Facebook page in which he made it clear he would not support Gen Prayut, who is the PPRP’s sole prime ministerial candidate, saying that because his prolonged stay in power will create conflicts and it is against the Democrat Part’s ideology which puts the people first.
  • He added that after five years under Gen Prayut’s leadership, the economy is in poor shape and the country has suffered badly.
  • However, Mr Abhisit’s announcement was treated with scepticism within the Pheu Thai Party with key party figure Anusorn Iamsa-ard suggesting there are only two camps in this election — for or against Gen Prayut’s return to power — and demanding to know if Mr Abhisit was speaking on behalf of his party, and calling on Democrat executives to endorse the statement as an official stance.

External Link: https://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/easy/1642528/Abhisit-%27won%27t-back%27-Prayut-return-as-PM#cxrecs_s

11-Mar-2019