The May 2023 elections signal the end of General Prayuth Chanocha’s prime ministership in Thailand. His tenure was based on a junta constitution and on elections that were neither free nor fair. During the review period, the government utilized draconian laws reinforced by police and military to quell mounting student protests that are calling for wide-reaching reforms.
Despite the waning pandemic in 2022, Thailand’s economy remained fragile. Economic growth, based partly upon tourism, is still recovering. The persistently high level of inequality in Thailand is sufficiently ingrained to marginalize particular sections of society, preventing them from accessing adequate levels of education and health care. Moreover, a large number of Thais continue to suffer from poverty, social exclusion, or discrimination due to gender, ethnicity, or geographic location.
Though the Thai state has attempted to enhance strategic capacity by prioritizing and organizing its policy measures, in terms of anti-corruption and controlling pollution, these goals have been hindered by powerful economic interests.
