Giving Thaksin a run for his money

FOR a mainstream political party comprising men and women who think of themselves as the natural rulers of Thailand, the Democrat Party (DP) has a truly terrible election record. It was founded in 1946 as a conservative, royalist party in a country that reveres the monarchy. Yet despite its advantages of history, organisation and money, it has never won an outright majority in parliament. Indeed, since 1992 it has not even won the most seats. And since 2001 the DP has lost four elections in a row, often by wide margins, to parties led or controlled by a billionaire businessman, Thaksin Shinawatra. His younger sister, Yingluck, is now prime minister. The leader of the DP, Abhisit Vejjajiva, a well-mannered old Etonian, managed to become prime minister from 2008 to 2011, but only as a result of some shady back-room dealings with other minor parties after Mr Thaksin was ousted in a coup in 2006.

Perhaps this dismal record should not worry anyone much beyond the cadres of the DP. However, some argue that the failings of the DP are partly responsible for Thailand’s dysfunctional democracy, with its tendency for politics to be played out on the streets or through military coups. That the DP has failed to channel legitimate political sentiments and policies into election-winning platforms has all too often encouraged conservative and royalist activists (such as the Yellow Shirts) to bring central Bangkok to a halt or occupy the capital’s main airport instead.