Combining a few considerations about the size, demographic makeup, and voting behaviors of white evangelical Christians with an analysis of voters in an important swing state helps clarify why this electoral group is essential for any Republican coalition during the 2020 race to the White House. As demographics in the United States continue to shift, election analysts must understand the scale of evangelicals’ role in the Republican coalition, especially in swing states. Hours after the Election Commission announced its referral of the shareholding case, the Constitutional Court said it had has accepted a separate petition against Move Forward and Pita concerning their campaign promise to amend Thailand’s harsh lese majeste law.Since Ronald Reagan’s 1980 victory over Jimmy Carter, Republican presidential candidates have benefitted from enthusiastic support of evangelical Christian voters, specifically white evangelicals. The dissolution in 2019 of the Future Forward party, a forerunner of Move Forward, triggered vigorous street protests by pro-democracy activists that trailed off only when the coronavirus pandemic took hold. For a decade-and-a-half, it has repeatedly used the courts and supposedly independent state agencies such as the Election Commission to issue controversial rulings to cripple or sink political opponents. There have been fears since the election that Thailand’s conservative ruling establishment would use what its political opponents consider to be dirty tricks to hold on to power. The Senate largely represents Thailand’s traditional ruling establishment, which suspects Move Forward’s proposals for minor reforms of the monarchy endanger the royal institution, which they consider to be the center of Thais’ national identity.Ĭaretaker Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, the government’s top legal advisor, has been quoted as saying that a ruling against Pita could be grounds for nullifying the May election results and holding a new election.
Move Forward has assembled an eight-party, 311-seat coalition with which it had planned to take power.īut Pita’s path to power is difficult because he must win 376 votes of a joint session of the House and the conservative, 250-seat, non-elected Senate. The Move Forward Party, with a progressive reformist platform, swept to a surprise first-place finish in May’s general election, capturing 151 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives and the most popular votes. But the commission’s move raises new doubts about whether he can muster enough votes to get the post, already a struggle because of Thailand’s deep political divisions. Pita can still be nominated on Thursday when Parliament meets to vote for a new prime minister. Thai media said the court would not make any ruling on Wednesday and that it might need some to consider the issues. Separately, the court also said it would review a complaint that Pita and his party may have violated the law by proposing to amendThailand’s strict legal provision against defaming the monarchy.
The alleged violation involves undeclared ownership of media company shares, which are banned for lawmakers. The commission’s decision included a request that the court order Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat suspended as a member of Parliament until the ruling is issued. BANGKOK (AP) - Thailand’s Election Commission said Wednesday it has concluded there is evidence that the top candidate to become the country’s next prime minister, a reformist with strong backing among progressive young voters, violated election law and referred his case to the Constitutional Court for a ruling.
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