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Provincial clans and dynasties have long been crucial in Thai electoral politics. Their influence was felt since before the 1969 poll. Post-1988 and post-1992 political space gave clans room to expand in power. But their sway has been interrupted by several factors, including military coups, changing constitutions, and national transformations. Thailand's March 2019 general election, December 2020 provincial administrative organization elections, and March 2021 subdistrict administrative organization elections demonstrated the persistence of provincial clan influence owing partly to the 2019 end of military dictatorship but also to the needs by national parties to partner with provincial political families to achieve success and finally because local clans saw an opportunity to revitalize their power. In 2022 Thailand, provincial clans and dynasties appear to be alive and well. This study examines the historical evolution of provincial dynasties involved in Thai electoral politics in four different provinces. The study analyzes the reasons why only some provinces have experienced clan (familial) domination, strategies for and obstacles to dynastic family control over provincial politics, and the future of dynastic provincial families in Thailand's democratic future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent rallies for democracy by Thai youth, protesters appreciated the 1932 overthrow of absolute monarchy by the People's Party and the memory of anti-royalist Thai Prime Minister Phibun Songkram. On the other hand, since 2016, there have been royalist movements to wipe out all memory of him. Using Historical Institutionalism, this article traces the process of Phibun's return as army commander following the 1947 coup, accession as Prime Minister (for the second time) in April 1948, and the evocative memory of People's Party and Phibun in 2020 youth-led protests. The author paid particular attention to the meanings of rallies and leaflets. A closer look at Thai, Chinese, and English newspapers of the time reveals that many youth-led rallies were organized, and a great many leaflets were distributed. Youth-led rallying is still a common practice in Thai political activity today, and its origins are observed here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]