Politics can be a very intriguing topics for some, and often it can drive a certain kind of passion in some people. Because of that, there tends to be tensions when it comes to election seasons. It’s a good thing actually when people show their passion for something, but when it comes to politics, it may can create some kind of problem to someone if they don’t act on it accordingly.
In Southeast Asia, 2019 is considered to be the year of election. Some of the countries are Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines, with the dates for the elections are February 24th, April 17th, and May 13th.
General Election in Thailand
As a preparation for the general election, Thailand lifted the ban on political activity in December. The ban was due to sabotaging of the anti-government protesters on the Pheu Thai Party in 2014. Since the incident, Thai Constitution has been rewritten by the military junta in order to raise the chances of ushering in coalition government made up of smaller parties.
It has been reported by Asia News Network that there will be no international observers taking part in the election. This aspect is quite unusual, and therefore it will be harder to detect if there’s any irregularities in the electoral process.
Legislative and Presidential Elections in Indonesia
For the first time in the country’s history, voters in Indonesia will be choosing their president and parliamentarians on the same day. By April 17th, more than 192 million voters will be deciding on the presidential race that’s shaping up to pit incumbent President Joko Widodo up against his old rival, former general Prabowo Subianto. Due to this circumstances, the country’s been having quite an ongoing strain because of this two-horse race.
General Election in Philippines
As for the Philippines, voters will cast their ballots to elect a wide variety of nationwide and local offices. The general elections on May 13th consist of the choosing of senators, members of the house of representatives, governors, and more. One of the fascinating dynamics in this election is that politically elite families will be fielding candidates for offices at all levels all over the country.
Another thing to look out for in this year’s election is the freedom of the press. From past experience, social media has played an outsized role in the Philippines elections, therefore the government seems to seek quiet dissenting voices from the media.