In brief
The impeachment of the previous prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, in January 2015 showed that the military and its allies are cementing their control. Elections are unlikely before 2016, and may preserve the military's dominance even when they are held. Big infrastructure projects and an improvement in political stability will see GDP growth recover in 2015, after a sharp slowdown in 2014. However, the economy's average annual pace of expansion in 2015-19 will remain below potential, at 4.2%