The General locker is

General Prayuth Chan-ocha, posing recently for photos of the casual type, on one of the pictures he has thrown over a sporty jacket, another shows him with a base ball cap and a Hipster jacket with the collar loosely to the top hit. A third photo focuses on the face, with a smile, the Thai General supports his chin in his hands, as the nice uncle next door.

Prayuth has his admirers, but many consider that the fashion show of the General's embarrassing. A commentator in the "Bangkok Post" raised the question of whether Prayuths strategists believed because Seriously, people fall for such Tricks before the election. Finally, Prayuth is the face of the putschists, the cracks 2014. The Thai people have seen how the Junta ruled with a heavy Hand, as it robs the citizens liberties, critics pulls whose chain?, and imprison. And now, a casual suit and a buddy-like Smile to make you forget about everything?

On Sunday, the Thai people choose the Parliament, more than 51 million citizens are called to cast their vote. And also, the army will send their candidates into the race. She has brought in his own party, Palang Pracharat, in position, the Prayuth to help, even after the 24. To stay March Premier. The generals submit themselves to an election that looks as if they would now accept democratic principles. However, the rules for the ballot you have written, in order to legitimize their Power, and in the future, she says. "We do not experience even the return to democracy," says that Virot Ali, a political scientist at Thammasat University. At most, the day marked a first tentative step in this direction.

Enigmatic

artists are working with this choice, what can you see in a gallery, close to the shopping district of Sukhumvit. A staircase leads to the second floor, above the casino table. Two life-sized figures in business suits sitting opposite each other, glowing heads made of brass, the men are playing Poker. To the left of the exile, who had fled Ex-Premier Thaksin Shinawatra, right, General Prayuth Chan-ocha. It's just that none of them holds even the cards in the Hand, the others do.

From the table puzzles does not protrude-like hands, you can see who they belong to. The Hand for Prayuth holds the aces, the for Thaksin ladies unsheathed. A fair game? The General has the additional plug in cards in the suit, should turn the tide of a surprise. And the mysterious hands? In Thai politics there is always a shadowed space in which forces operate, no one can illuminate. In a country where the king is inviolable above all, think of Thai viewer to the table of order and silence. The king's house is protected by strict laws on lese majeste sentences. The artist who created the Installation, called Headache Stencil, a young, restless man, anger in his voice. That he may exhibit his work freely, like amaze. The artist sees this as evidence that the Junta wants now is competing very strongly for votes and your bad Image Supplement, because it fits badly into the picture, to put the art.

Usually Headache Stencil selects no enclosed spaces for his work, his world is the street. If he wanders off, he looks like a craftsman, loaded with colors, tools and templates. He has not pulled a cloth in front of the face that appear to be suspicious, where so many people Mouth guard to wear against the Smog. Sometime, somewhere, he strikes. Los sticks, stencils and sprays.

The Thai have seen how the Junta ruled with a hard Hand, as she pulls whose chain? critics and imprison.

He was doing this because he was angry, "but also because of the adrenaline," says Headache Stencil. His artist name is, the generals of the head is to hum, like the time he sprayed the face of the General Prawit Wongsuwan, in the form of an alarm clock at the wall. Prawit, considered by some to be the most powerful man in the Junta, had to explain to the time, effort, as he had come into possession of 24 luxury watches, this upset many Thai people. And Headache Stencil created the appropriate image. It has held up for two days, before it was glossed over. But as a sign of protest against the power abuse was born, the clock as a symbolic Wake-up call, you could delete it from the consciousness.

But what choice do the Thais have? You can choose between three Camps: The supporters of the military, a number of Pro-democracy parties, in addition, there are those who have not yet chosen a side. Everything points so far to the fact that Phuea Thai, the big party is Thaksin, the strongest force in the lower house.

millionaire enthusiastic youth

Thaksin against Prayuth: This front position dominates the picture, even if the billionaire has long since fled into exile, and as a possible Prime to be eliminated, like his sister, Yingluck. The Clan must pull the strings from afar, the Thaksin camp has split in several parties, a tactical move to have a broad "democratic Front" against the military. As the army had the right to choose to crop, you can win in any party a big victory, the loser points and get seats. So the military is trying to weaken the camp of the populist Thaksin. Since 2001, his forces have not lost any election, he has managed to mobilize the masses in the rural North and East. Against this majority of the Royal-ist had generals-conservative Establishment so far, only a means: a coup at the end.

After coming to power in 2014, the army had promised elections soon, but it is always delayed. Because the opponents of Thaksin knew that you can't win votes according to the majority principle, could you draw up a new Constitution. You should secure the influence of the generals in duration. It goes like this: The military appoints a 250-senators in the upper house, the people elect the 500 seats in the lower house. Who wants to be Prime Minister, must have no mandate, but needs more than 50 percent of all 750 seats. This means that the army has to only win 126 seats to install, supported by the Senate, a Prime Minister. Then the new Prime Minister of the old one: Prayuth would be.

So how is the army the right to vote
crop left that can win not a party to a great victory.

But the strategy is working? A residual risk. the generals cannot be ruled out, what are the Pro-democracy parties, spurred on in spite of such high hurdles, To this category belongs also the Future Forward Party, which is headed by a young entrepreneur is: Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit. The 40-year-old engineer from one of the richest families in Thailand, he has made the auto supplier Thai Summit Group is large and is only got in 2018 in the policy. In the case of the youth of the millionaire has seen a meteoric rise of rival marvel. Thanathorn is located in the impeccable gray suit, he asks on a Sofa on the eighth floor of the corporate headquarters and talks about his goals. "We need to prevent the military, in the Power return," he says, which he calls his priority. He mainly uses the social media to gather followers, among the seven million first-time voters, he impressed many.

Because Thanathorn is not afraid to open words against the army, have him hang opponents of a display due to the alleged dissemination of falsehoods. The law against computer crime is often used to persecute critics of the army. Two days after the election, Thanathorn appear before the court, he called that a threat. "These elections are not free and fair." The Prime is expected to be Thanathorn, but he represents a new force, driven by the youth that's tired of a standstill.

candidates in their Princess

prevent all Pro-democracy parties Prayuth as a future head of government? For a Moment it looked a Sensation in the election campaign. At the beginning of February it became known that a sister of the king for the Thaksin-go to the middle parties in the race to become Prime Minister. The Thais stared paralyzed at this incredible message. A few hours later, but the Vision was already scattered. The king distanced himself, Princess Ubolratana, was says the candidacy, the party, for the you into the race should go, was dissolved. Since then, all of the puzzles, it was probably one of the tell short candidacy.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 22.03.2019, 22:44 PM