On the recent Thai election results, SMU Assistant Professor of Political Science Jacob Ricks said it is highly likely that political tensions in parliament will boil over into very public debate and parliamentary dysfunction. “If a parliamentary majority is in the opposition, we might even see [Prime Minister] Prayuth use a heavier hand in coercing compliance,” he added. Supporters of the Thaksin-allied Pheu Thai party “are unlikely to embrace continued rule by Prayuth, but many feel as though they have no alternative beyond accepting and enduring it,” he suggested. “They are very aware of who carries the guns.”