Thailand King’s Endorsement of Premier Srettha Thavisin Ends Deadlock

The dust has settled in the three-month standoff that saw Thais vote against the military-backed government that took power in a 2014 coup, and the royal establishment has emerged unscathed, for now.

Thailand’s king approved parliament’s backing of property tycoon Srettha Thavisin as prime minister, ending a stalemate that punished markets in Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy. Expectations are that investors will return now that the short-term uncertainty is over, but longer-term questions remain.