The Struggle for Political Legitimacy in Thailand

At the start of the twenty-first century, conflicting notions of political legitimacy once again caused political instability in Thailand. The most visible signs of a legitimacy crisis were the military’s ouster of popularly elected prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006, the rewrite of the acclaimed 1997 “People’s Constitution” in early 2007, and the fall of two prime ministers within a year of their election. The unprecedented degree of political polarization—exacerbated by an imminent monarchical succession—introduced deep insecurity throughout the country.