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5. Quick election, which are essential to compensate for the loss of legitimacy that
follows the overthrow of a former government. In most cases, elections were held mostly

within six to thirteen months.

The important reflections on the failures of democratic transition in Thailand include:

the opposition forces’ inability to unite; the apparent absence of elected political and social
elites who are committed to prepare the ground for democratic transition; the lack of public

consensus on constitutional reform, both the constitutional body and the process of

constitutional establishment; the dominance of military supremacy over the civilian

government; and finally, that in Thailand, election is not viewed as a mechanism

to resolve political crisis or enable transfer of power, both crucial to the process of
democratic transition.