Thai election sees old order restored as political dynasties weigh on vote

Thailand’s dynastic centres of political power and patronage, the ‘Baan Yai’ (Big Houses), swayed election for conservatives, analysts say.

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Bangkok – Thailand’s swing to more conservative politics in last weekend’s election reveals as much about the dynamics of local power brokers as it does the missteps of the main progressive party, which failed to get its message to stick outside of urban centres.

Anutin Charnvirakul, the leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, comfortably won Sunday’s election, according to an unofficial count by the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT), securing more than 190 of the 500 seats in Thailand’s parliament.