A prime minister in Thailand. Thailand’s parliament will vote again on Tuesday to choose a prime minister. On Monday, the opposition Pheu Thai party announced the integration of the Palang Pracharat (PPRP), historically associated with the junta that emerged from the 2014 coup, into an eleven-party coalition that includes both members of the outgoing power and their former adversaries. Pheu Thai came second in the May 14 legislative elections, behind a newer opposition party, Move Forward, which has united younger generations around a more ambitious reform agenda. But the army-appointed Senate has blocked the formation of a Move Forward government, whose ideas are deemed too radical vis-à-vis the monarchy. After weeks of uncertainty, Pheu Thai therefore abandoned his former partner Move Forward to unite with conservative formations, despite his campaign promise never to unite with the military.
New strongman from Cambodia. Cambodia’s new parliament convened on Monday to confirm the handover of power between Hun Sen, prime minister for 38 years, and his son Hun Manet, after a landslide victory in a disputed parliamentary election last month. Parliament will meet again on Tuesday to officially elect the four-star general to lead the country. The Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) won 120 of the 125 seats in the lower house in a widely criticized poll after the main opposition force, the Candle Party, was ousted. After stepping down, Hun Sen will become President of the Senate early next year, number 2 in the ceremonial order after the King, whom he will replace as head of state when the latter is abroad. .
