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19 May 2023
The Asia Democracy Network and its member organizations across Asia extend our heartfelt congratulations to the citizens of Thailand for their successful election held on May 14, 2023. We commend the high voter turnout, which reached a historic 75.2% of the 52.3 million registered voters. This significant participation is a strong expression of the Thai people’s trust in democratic governance and their strong desire for transformative change.
We urge national and international actors to remain vigilant as the newly-elected leaders navigate this crucial time of dialogue in trying to form a new government and electing a new Prime Minister. We hope that the two parties who won the most seats, the Move Forward Party and Pheu Thai Party, will stay true to their campaign promises of institutional reforms.
With a solid mandate from the people, we hope those elected will govern the country in a way that respects human rights, create policies that enable equitable and sustainable development, and ensure that the wounds left by years of anti-democratic control are finally given justice. We also hope they will work and engage with civil society and other pro-democracy actors to develop policies safeguarding fundamental freedoms in Thailand and beyond.
The dedication of the Thais who braved long queues amid scorching heat to exercise their suffrage rights inspires us. We commend the Thai youth who played an important role in creatively and actively driving conversations, about the impact of military and elite interventions, as well as restrictive policies such as the country’s sedition and lese-majeste laws, on Thailand’s democracy.
Election observers deployed throughout the country have done a tremendous job to protect the integrity of the electoral process. We urge the Election Commission of Thailand to adopt the observers’ recommendations, thereby ensuring greater transparency and integrity in future elections.
We also call on the other parties that contested but failed to obtain the people’s mandate to respect the outcome of the elections and work with the new government in delivering better services to the people.
We stand united with the people of Thailand in celebrating this significant milestone in the country’s history, and we hope for the opportunity to work with the country’s new leaders in promoting and protecting democracy in Asia.
For more information, please contact adn@adnasia.org.
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