There are few events in Thailand that could possibly overshadow the election of a new prime minister. The return of a former prime minister from his self-imposed time in exile is one of them. 

Thaksin Shinawatra was gone for fifteen years, but in many ways it never really felt like he had left. Even as there were exhortations to ‘get over Thaksin,’ and even as new actors emerged on the political stage, Thaksin always remained one of the central poles that Thai politics revolved around. 

Yesterday’s events have only reaffirmed Thaksin’s centrality in our politics, with both his return to Bangkok and the election of his ally Srettha Thavisin as prime minister.

Click here to read the full piece at Thai Enquirer.