Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva says that he and his party represent a "new generation" of political leadership, the electoral choice to break with the bad old ways of Thailand's often corrupt political past. The question now looming over the country's December 23 democratic polls is whether the Thai electorate believes that the 43-year-old career politician who first entered politics in 1992 has finally come of age to lead.
The Democrats, Thailand's oldest political party, have not won a democratic election since 1993. The conservative party is, according to some public opinion polls, once again lagging behind their main People's Power Party (PPP) rival, the new incarnation of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's recently disbanded Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party, which trumped the Democrats at both the 2001 and 2005 polls.
Full Interview: Asia Times Online
Thought: He answers some tough questions but remains very middle of the road with a lot of promises. His policies on education and the economy though are exactly what Thailand needs if it is to get out of reverse and start going forwards.
Interview: Abhisit on party policies and Thailand's future
Interview: Abhisit on party policies and Thailand's future
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