Explaining the surprises and upsets of Thailand’s 2019 election

Kanokrat Lertchoosakul on Pheu Thai's drop in seats, Future Forward's electoral breakthrough and the Democrat decline

Conserving a New Malaysia

Does the change in Malaysian government provide hope for some of the world’s most diverse forests and wildlife?

Mindanao’s future in four conversations

Interviews with Philippine youth voting for first time reveal manifold views of election campaigns

Singapore’s online falsehoods bill will deepen a culture of self-censorship

If the government gets to decide what’s "false", abuse of anti-disinformation laws is all but guaranteed.

Politics and peanuts

A creative reflection on everyday life in Duterte's stronghold.

Indonesia’s election and the return of ideological competition

Renewed rivalry between pluralists and Islamists coexists with catch-all patronage politics.

Thailand’s tainted Election Commission

At the heart of the controversies over Thailand's 2019 election sits the Election Commission.

Standing for parliament, and against mining in Kalimantan

Some Indonesian politicians are taking on the industries which dominate politics in their regions. But can working in the system change much?

Polarisation in Indonesia: what if perception is reality?

Considering whether five years of Jokowi–Prabowo competition is dividing Indonesian society.

Indonesia’s real infrastructure challenge: getting people out of their cars

Road building is good for the economy overall but does little to solve the congestion that plagues Indonesia’s major provinces.

Campaigning in the shadow of Ahok in NTT

Fears of intolerant Islamic movements have intensified identity politics in Christian communities in the east.

Indonesia: how the polls are performing

There’s little reason not to expect a comfortable win for Jokowi, but difficulties in predicting legislative election results remain.

An anti-feminist wave in Indonesia’s election?

Socially conservative female candidates are making their mark in the 2019 legislative elections.

Jokowi and NU: the view from the pesantren

Islamic boarding schools are ground zero for Jokowi’s efforts to win over the Muslim grassroots. Ideology and patronage are both playing a part.

Indonesia’s bureaucracy is a campaign tool—but not for the president

Why attempts to mobilise the civil service in presidential elections aren’t likely to have much effect.

Cooptation doesn’t work: how redshirts voted in Isan

The redshirt movement endures at the ballot box.

An interview with Malaysia’s Foreign Minister, Saifuddin Abdullah

Answering New Mandala's questions on the "New Malaysia" and its place in the region and the world.

Jokowi and the preachers: an ambiguous pre-election relationship

Reflections on socio-religious developments and the political role of Indonesia’s Islamic preachers appealing to the middle class.

What’s the role of a Constitutional Court in a military dictatorship? On the dissolution of Thai Raksa Chart

In Thailand, the function of the constitution is not to limit the power of the king, but to reflect the king’s will.

Why so serious: the limits of liberal democracy in the Philippines

Populism has left liberal democracy on the defensive. Liberals might think to adopt elements of Duterte's populist idiom.

Elite realignment, a populist moment: reflections on Thailand’s 2019 general elections

เลือกตั้ง 62: ชนชั้นนำแตกเป็นเสี่ยงและประชานิยมทางการเมือง

Syariah by surprise in Brunei

The latest extension of Islamic criminal law was kept under wraps, even for Bruneians.

Indonesia’s elections in the periphery: a view from Maluku

The eastern islands showcase how national-level polarisation filters through to the grassroots, but also how the realities of decentralised power interfere with national-level political designs.

Key issues in the midterm elections: a perspective from the Bangsamoro

Should we consider the 2019 polls as a preview of politics in the soon-to-be autonomous region?