I don't have much to do with Thai politics and sadly, I don't really have that many Thai friends due to language barriers. This is my own fault because I didn't bother to study the language very vigorously. There is one thing that I do get from the few Thai friends that I do have and that is a sense of apathy about the politics of the country.
Thailand does have a bunch of parties, but just like most other countries in the world, there are 2 dominant ones with the fringe groups getting very few seats in government around the country. Ironically, the two main parties are defined as the blues and the reds, just like back in the US of A.
There have been a few elections since I have lived here and when that time of year arrives it is undeniable because there are massive signs on the side of the road with people's faces and the number that you have to tick in order to vote for them. It's EVERYWHERE and it's kind of funny to me that there is a war of sorts about people defacing the signs of the political opponents that they don't like. I'm guessing this is the case of course.
Just like any country, all of the candidates put up their signs all over the place and I guess this is allowed. I've always found the process to be exceptionally stupid because is anyone's voting decision really determined by a sign they saw on the side of the road? If so, it can't be a great many people.
The bad news for Thailand's politics is that in a recent survey, nearly 40% of Thai people questioned stated that they don't believe there is ANY political party that represents the best-interests of the country and perhaps this is reflected in voter turnout.
From some of my friends I have heard that election day is a day to make some money because they turn up at the polling sites and see which candidate's representatives are offering the most money for a bribe to vote for their guy. One girl that I know turned this opportunity into making nearly 2 weeks wages. I believe her because she wouldn't really gain anything by lying to me about this. If it is the case, and it almost certainly is because basically everything in Thailand is corrupt, then the party with the most money to bribe the people with is going to win provided that the people taking the money actually follow through on voting for who they were paid to do so.
So in this regard I think that Thailand feels basically the way that the rest of the world does. Every election in my own country it is a vote for the "lessor of two evils" and it appears as though a great many Thai people feel the same way. I am yet to meet a single Thai person that is openly extremely supportive of any particular political party and I've been here for years.