Strongmen don’t always want to get rid of voting. Some find it useful to legitimise their rule – as long as they know they’ll winVoting is not synonymous with democracy. Take Thailand. In 2014, the military launched the latest of its many coups. But juntas are not a good look for modern economies, so elections eventually arrived this year. The promise was a return to democracy; the intention was to prolong rule by the military, which created its own party. The constitution was rigged to boost its chances, 45 days taken to tally votes – announced this Wednesday – and …read more
Source: The Guardian
