The billionaire returns

Thaksin Shinawatra could lead Thailand again

Yesterday in Thailand, the first parliamentary elections after last year's military coup were won by 58-year-old Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Prime Minister of Thailand, billionaire and owner of the British football club Manchester, who fled to London. After processing 86% of the ballots, former Prime Minister Shinawatra's People Power party won 231 of the 480 seats in the House of Representatives of Parliament. The main rival is the Democratic Party, which can claim 162 parliamentary seats. More than five thousand candidates from 39 political parties competed for 480 seats in the lower house of the Thai parliament. According to Thai law, the government can be formed by the party or political coalition that receives the majority of votes in parliamentary elections.

The success of “Power of the People” was predictable. In addition to her own followers, she attracted to her side supporters of the exiled prime minister from his Thai Rak Thai party, which was banned after the removal of Thaksin Shinawatra from the post of head of government. The leader of People's Power, 72-year-old Samak Sundaraway, who has previously been repeatedly elected to parliament, served as a member of the government and as governor of Bangkok, believes that together with its allies the party can gain control of 300 seats in parliament. The party promised voters cheap health care, low interest rates on loans for low-income families, and village development projects. However, the People's Power made its main bet in the election campaign on the return of Thaksin Shinawatra to his homeland, which could take place early next year.

The coup in Thailand took place in September 2006 - the military that came to power removed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and formed an interim government, which was approved by the King of Thailand, 80-year-old Rama IX. The formal pretext for Shinawatra's removal was accusations of corruption and authoritarian rule. At first, the people supported the military government, but then they became disillusioned with economic failures and the inability to stop extremist attacks in the southern provinces of Thailand, where over 2.5 thousand people have died at the hands of Islamic militants over the past four years.

Victor VOLODIN