Assembling a parliamentary majority, avoiding electoral convictions and evading a possible coup are challenges Pita must survive before assuming prime ministership writes Jacob Ricks (SMU).
Most political parties are focusing their campaigns on subsidies and tax exemptions populist pledges economists fear will derail Thailand's fiscal balance.
Opinion polls show Paetongtarn Shinawatra to be the heavy favorite to take the prime minister's post after Thailand's May 14 general election. But there are fears that victory for Paetongtarn, the youngest daughter of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, could plunge Thailand back into a familiar cycle of protest and military intervention. Thaksin, deposed by a military coup in 2014, is a polarizing political figure with powerful enemies in the Thai establishment who regarded his popularity as a threat. But having the 36-year-old Paetongtarn as a candidate is expected to pay off handsomely for the popular opposition Pheu Thai party. It’s polling so well that it’s hoping for a landslide victory, with enough seats to name the prime minister.