[20191212]IF11390_泰国：2019年选举、议题和国会前景.pdf

https:/crsreports.congress.gov December 12, 2019Thailand: 2019 Elections, Issues, and Outlook for CongressIn March 2019, Thailand held its first elections since a 2014 coup installed a military government. Through an electoral system weighted in favor of the military and a process fraught with allegations of irregularities, junta chief Prayuth Chan-ocha and his military proxy party emerged victorious (although with a narrower margin than expected), with Prayuth remaining in the position of prime minister. The U.S. Department of State certified in July 2019 that a democratically elected government had taken office in Thailand, allowing for the restoration of the military assistance that had been proscribed since the 2014 coup. U.S. officials welcomed the March election and subsequent reopening of military assistance as positive steps towards rekindling the bilateral ties that have frayed over more than a decade of political turmoil in Thailand. Many observers note, however, that the new government was elected through a system that many view as created by the junta to preserve its rule. Given Thailands new political climate, some analysts have raised questions about how the United S