Thailand’s democracy index ranking drops due to unelected govt

[webfact]

 

The yearly Democracy Index compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has seen Thailand’s ranking fall by eight places, a change largely ascribed to the latest government formation by unelected senators rather than voters.

 

The EIU placed Thailand in the 63rd position among 167 countries and territories in 2023, a drop from its 55th position in 2022. The country’s score also saw a decrease from 6.67 to 6.35 points.

 

The EIU’s annual evaluation rates countries on a zero to 10 scale. Any country scoring above eight is classified as a full democracy, whereas those with scores under four are considered authoritarian regimes. With scores ranging between six and eight, Thailand joins the broad category of flawed democracies.

The top five positions on the index were dominated by Norway, New Zealand, Iceland, Sweden, and Finland, respectively, all scoring above nine.

The scores are determined based on performance in five sub-categories. Thailand achieved a 7 for the electoral process and pluralism, 6.07 for the functioning of government, 7.78 for political participation, 5 for political culture, and 5.88 for civil liberties, reported Bangkok Post.

 

The country’s overall score hasn’t seen significant changes since 2019. That year, following five years of military rule, Thailand’s score rose sharply to 6.32 from 4.63, as per EIU data.

 

In the 2022 index, Thailand’s score experienced an upturn as opposition parties were provided more freedom to compete in local and national elections, due to increased political participation, stated the EIU.

 

However, the 2023 general election saw the Move Forward Party earn the majority of votes but fail to establish a government due to a lack of support from the unelected Senate.

 

The suspension of party leader Pita Limjaroenrat, ordered by the court for several months while a ruling on a precarious media share ownership case was pending – ultimately judged in his favour – further emphasised the hurdles, commented EIU analysts.

“Thailand evidently lacks established or accepted rules regarding the democratic transfer of power, and its judiciary does not operate independently.”

 

According to the survey, out of the 28 countries in the Asia and Australasia region, only five are full democracies (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, and New Zealand), in stark contrast to the 13 non-democratic regimes.

 

by Mitch Connor

Picture courtesy of jcomp, Freepik

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-02-19

 

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[flyingtlger]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has seen Thailand’s ranking fall by eight places, a change largely ascribed to the latest government formation by unelected senators rather than voters.

What did expect? They certainly weren't going to go up in rank.....

Edited February 18 by flyingtlger

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The yearly Democracy Index compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has seen Thailand’s ranking fall by eight places, a change largely ascribed to the latest government formation by unelected senators rather than voters.

No democracy.

[mfd101]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

With scores ranging between six and eight, Thailand joins the broad category of flawed democracies.

 

A more accurate description might be: Weak autocracy.

[ikke1959]

Thailand has no democracy. The army and elite is in charge even behind the scenes and they approve or disapprove who is going to be in the government and what is going to be done or not. The peoples voice is not important as Prayuth said already" Thailand has its own democracy" and those who stand up are being silenced even for nothing as the section 112 can used for everything. Democracy also  has a freedom of speech and writing, but in Thailand censure is common in the media, newspapers on the streets and even on your facebook. It is a constitutional monarchy, but not a constitution democracy. Democracy is far away but it is a totalitarian system.

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

No democracy.

Surprising really, it seemed closer to a democracy than the previous one, which was the result of a coup!

[dinsdale]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

“Thailand evidently lacks established or accepted rules regarding the democratic transfer of power, and its judiciary does not operate independently.”

Very true, however, evidently should be deleted.

[spidermike007]

When they are locking up courageous young folks for decades, for speaking out about important reform, stealing elections from highly popular figures like Pita, and installing highly toxic and corrupt army appointed proxy senators, they cannot even pretend this is a democracy. 

 

It is a "soft power" army autocracy. With no moral authority, whatsoever. 

[mikebell]

Can a country ever be classed as a democracy when votes are up for sale in every village?

[spidermike007]

27 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Surprising really, it seemed closer to a democracy than the previous one, which was the result of a coup!

 

Even thought the results of the election were ignored, and stolen from the people?

 

Even though we have a proxy, do nothing PM?

 

Even though we still have 250 super toxic, super corrupt, army appointed lapdog senators?

 

Even though the youth are still be imprisoned for a simple protest asking for change and reform?

 

Really? Honestly? Earnestly? 

Edited February 19 by spidermike007

[jacko45k]

3 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Really? Honestly? Earnestly? 

You would deem the  military coup  of 2014 more democratic? I find that incredulous!

[fondue zoo]

4 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

You would deem the  military coup  of 2014 more democratic? I find that incredulous!

 

But, but Uncle P was clear in his Time magazine front cover article.

 

"I had no choice, I didn't want to, but Siam was teetering on the brink of oblivion, I had to step up and save my country and its people/children."

- it was more or less this in the article.

[fondue zoo]

 

I hear they are already taking bets on how long to the next c-word.

[redwood1]

1 hour ago, ikke1959 said:

Thailand has no democracy. The army and elite is in charge even behind the scenes and they approve or disapprove who is going to be in the government and what is going to be done or not. The peoples voice is not important as Prayuth said already" Thailand has its own democracy" and those who stand up are being silenced even for nothing as the section 112 can used for everything. Democracy also  has a freedom of speech and writing, but in Thailand censure is common in the media, newspapers on the streets and even on your facebook. It is a constitutional monarchy, but not a constitution democracy. Democracy is far away but it is a totalitarian system.

constitutional monarchy.........Well said.....

[Bangkok Barry]

And... the consequences are what? Anyone with an aversion to democracy knows they can operate with impunity as they also know there will be no consequences. The prime example, of course, is Vlad Putrid. The world 'condemns in the strongest possible terms' and then does nothing. No-one protests about Thailand's lack of democracy though as no-one cares for a second about a South East Asian backwater with no influence in anything on the world stage. 

[kingstonkid]

2 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Thailand has no democracy. The army and elite is in charge even behind the scenes and they approve or disapprove who is going to be in the government and what is going to be done or not. The peoples voice is not important as Prayuth said already" Thailand has its own democracy" and those who stand up are being silenced even for nothing as the section 112 can used for everything. Democracy also  has a freedom of speech and writing, but in Thailand censure is common in the media, newspapers on the streets and even on your facebook. It is a constitutional monarchy, but not a constitution democracy. Democracy is far away but it is a totalitarian system.

The funny thing is that if you look at the election they just held in Pakistan the same thing is happening.

 

Change is coming, but it is going to be so slow.  None of us will live to see it.

 

Movie theaters to me are an interesting view into the country.  6 years ago, if you did not stand when the clip came on, everyone looked at you.  Now if you stand, everyone looks at you.

[Bangkok Barry]

2 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Thailand censure is common in the media, newspapers on the streets and even on your facebook.

 

I don't think so. This very site disproves what you say, and FB ignores protests about anything the Thai elite don't like, as brushing off the occasional threat by an outraged government to block FB in Thailand proves.

[Srikcir]

 

Thank you Gomer.

[dinsdale]

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

You would deem the  military coup  of 2014 more democratic? I find that incredulous!

The pseudo legal apparatus put in place by Prayut the coup leader is still in place and is clealy on show for anyone with a glimmer of intelligece to see.

[herfiehandbag]

The current push a far from being a fair representation of the electorates will, as expressed in the General Election, but to deem them even less so than their predecessors is quite bizarre!

Edited February 19 by herfiehandbag

[dinsdale]

1 hour ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

I don't think so. This very site disproves what you say, and FB ignores protests about anything the Thai elite don't like, as brushing off the occasional threat by an outraged government to block FB in Thailand proves.

I bet you if I posted a video of Dr John Campbell it would be taken down. It certainly happened before. Free speech and censorship is now a problem globably. 112 is now a political weapon to supress opposition.

[smedly]

no surprise really, the election result was ignored - how is that even close to democracy, the fact remains that it isn't 

[ikke1959]

2 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

I don't think so. This very site disproves what you say, and FB ignores protests about anything the Thai elite don't like, as brushing off the occasional threat by an outraged government to block FB in Thailand proves.

That ius exactly what I meant

[kingstonkid]

2 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

I don't think so. This very site disproves what you say, and FB ignores protests about anything the Thai elite don't like, as brushing off the occasional threat by an outraged government to block FB in Thailand proves.

Actually, this site proves the point. I had a reasonable comment removed because future discussions might have gone over the rules.

[kingstonkid]

19 minutes ago, smedly said:

no surprise really, the election result was ignored - how is that even close to democracy, the fact remains that it isn't 

 

This is not a Thai thing Take a look at Pakistan.  To a greater extent, this is an Asian thing.  How many countries in Asia have free elections that are not controlled.

[Bangkok Barry]

24 minutes ago, kingstonkid said:

2 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

I don't think so. This very site disproves what you say, and FB ignores protests about anything the Thai elite don't like, as brushing off the occasional threat by an outraged government to block FB in Thailand proves.

Actually, this site proves the point. I had a reasonable comment removed because future discussions might have gone over the rules.

 

If it was about the Royal Family then I wouldn't be surprised. But name me anything else that is off-limits. Certainly nothing to do with the government or any official body such as Thailand's largest criminal organisation. Daily comments on here.

[jippytum]

No suprise there.  The party that won the election got shafted by the military and Phue Thai.  

 

[smedly]

47 minutes ago, kingstonkid said:

This is not a Thai thing

it is when being discussed on here and responding to headline on here

[kingstonkid]

27 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

If it was about the Royal Family then I wouldn't be surprised. But name me anything else that is off-limits. Certainly nothing to do with the government or any official body such as Thailand's largest criminal organisation. Daily comments on here.

x

Edited February 19 by kingstonkid

[Stocky]

45 minutes ago, kingstonkid said:

 

This is not a Thai thing Take a look at Pakistan.  To a greater extent, this is an Asian thing.  How many countries in Asia have free elections that are not controlled.

 

Not just Asia, there's just not that many fully democratic countries.