Businessman Srettha Thavisin was appointed Prime Minister of Thailand on Tuesday on a day marked by the imprisonment of his mentor, former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, imprisoned on his return to the country after fifteen years of imprisonment. exile linked to his legal convictions.
The 74-year-old billionaire, in power between 2001 and 2006 before being overthrown by a coup, must spend eight years behind bars for three cases tried in his absence, relating to his management of the country and his former company Shin Corp, the Supreme Court has served.
The total of the condemnations amounts to ten years, but two sorrows were confused. The return to power of the party associated with his family, Pheu Thai, could however allow him to hope for an adjustment or a reduction in sentence.
Srettha Thavisin, a 61-year-old property developer whose business success has fueled comparisons with Thaksin, garnered a large majority of votes from 500 MPs and 250 Senators (482 out of 728 voters).
He overcame the blockages of a system in the hands of the conservative establishment, thanks to a coalition of eleven parties mixing pro-democracy and pro-army formations, but which does not include Move Forward, the reformist party that won the legislative elections of May 14.
This controversial alliance allows the maintenance of the government of the military despite their electoral defeat, in exchange for a pass for the return of Thaksin, the former pet peeve of the army.
The telecom magnate’s private jet from Singapore arrived around 9 a.m. (0200 GMT) at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok, where hundreds of his supporters were waiting for him.
The former owner of the Manchester City football club, accused of corruption by his detractors, has polarized political life for more than twenty years between the “reds” (his supporters) and the “yellows” (conservatives loyal to the monarchy).
Thaksin has long denounced legal proceedings aimed at removing him from power, in favor of the military-royalist elites.
Abroad, he remained an influential player through his family-controlled Pheu Thai party, although the latest poll showed signs of waning.
Srettha Thavisin, a novice in politics, presents a more consensual profile than Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of Move Forward, whose candidacy was rejected by Parliament in July.
The senators appointed by the army criticized Pita (42), the darling of the new generations, for his program of reforms deemed too radical vis-à-vis the monarchy.
Arrived second in the legislative elections, Pheu Thai, in opposition in recent years, agreed with formations associated with generals who are members of the outgoing government to obtain sufficient support from the conservative Senate.
But this coalition betrayed its promise never to unite with the military and angered some of its supporters who, like the majority of Thais, voted to oust them from power.
By allying with his former opponent, Pheu Thai hopes for a gesture from the establishment for Thaksin, whose state of health requires medical supervision, and could revise his plans if nothing is done for the former leader.
“If the king doesn’t pardon Thaksin within a certain period of time, Pheu Thai might start to question the coalition they joined on false promises,” political analyst Aaron Connelly said.
A request for a royal pardon takes one to two months, detailed a prison administration official. Detained in solitary confinement in a cell in a Bangkok prison, Thaksin will be able to receive visits from his family after five days.
“Pheu Thai has made a pact with the devil (…) It could be a short-term victory for long-term difficulties,” said Hervé Lemahieu, a researcher specializing in Southeast Asia. .
The military carried out two coups against prime ministers from the Shinawatra family, Thaksin in 2006 and his sister Yingluck in 2014, the last elected civilian leader to date.
Srettha Thavisin assured that he was not going to touch the law on lèse-majesté, a taboo subject in Thailand where the king enjoys a status of quasi-divinity.
Thailand, in need of structural reforms, has a lower growth rate than its Indonesian or Vietnamese neighbours, and is suffering from uncertainties linked to its political future.
22/08/2023 13:44:09 – Bangkok (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
