This is sufficiently far off for Mr Thaksin's future to be decided on the basis of his performance, or lack thereof. To win the election, the TRT successfully tapped into a vein of popular discontent with the outgoing Democrat-led administration. The Democrats, too, in their efforts to restructure Thailand's corporate landscape had dared to unseat the powerful. This was not popular with the corporate elite. Meanwhile, existing non-performing borrowers would find it easier to get away with not paying their debts or staving off bankruptcy.
Reflation equals increased public debt.
Mr Thaksin has said that further policies that expose Thailand to global competition would be pursued only if beneficial to the country. It is not yet clear what this will mean for foreign investors, but watch out for amendments to the Foreign Business Law. Protectionist attitudes may spill over into other areas such as privatisation, which is likely to see an increased emphasis on local rather than foreign investors, especially cronies. Don't be surprised, too, if measures to open up the telecoms sector are diluted. Expect the sector to expand rapidly, but in a more closely held environment.