A decision has just been handed down by Thailand’s Election Commission that Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of evicted-as-PM-by-military-coup former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, is qualified to run as a candidate in the July general election. Yingluck Shinawatra is the prime ministerial candidate for the Pheu Thai party, the main party opposing current PM Abhisit Vejjajiva and the party of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra.
So far everything seems to be going Yingluck’s way, after the Pheu Thai party also drew the number one spot on the electoral ballot yesterday.
Her qualification was not always a certainty as she had part of her assets seized after her brother was removed as prime minister, supposedly for being corrupt, but many in Thailand suspect for other reasons.
The current government has used asset ceasing through the court system with various prominent Thaksin supporters and opposition leaders in an attempt to weaken their movement. Not surprising to those of us who understand human behavior, all it seems to have done is make Abhisit’s opposition stronger.
Yingluck is still due to go into court on perjury charges, charges she lied to the court about Thaksin’s asset seizure, but if prime minister Abhisit’s party can get away with misusing electoral funds in 2005, there’s no reason why Yingluck shouldn’t get away with perjury – if in fact she did lie, but that has yet to be proven.
Meanwhile, this is turning out to be a wonderful week for Yingluck and not such a good one for Abhisit. May it continue.
