Thaksin Shinawatra will complete his parole period in September, finally removing the last visible reminder of his legal troubles: the electronic monitoring bracelet fastened to his ankle. Yet for political observers, the greater question is not his freedom, but what role he might still play in a political order that no longer revolves around him.
For more than two decades, Thaksin has been a force of nature in Thai politics. Even during 17 years in self-imposed exile, the political movement he founded repeatedly returned to power, often winning elections decisively. But the political landscape he returned to in 2023 is markedly different from the one he left behind.
