BANGKOK - The uncertainty surrounding Thailand's election outcome threatens to set back the economy's grinding recovery from the 2014 coup.
But those factors mask underlying weaknesses in the economy that a new government will need to fix in the long term. In order to kick the economy into higher gear and defend against the looming demographic headwinds, economists say the government needs to make good on big commitments in infrastructure - and not just around the key hubs like Bangkok.
Delivering on those blueprints would give some life to total investment spending in Thailand, which lags regional peers at 24 per cent of gross domestic product, compared with an average of 29 per cent among Southeast Asia's biggest economies. The Bank of Thailand's proposals include raising the retirement age, supporting reverse mortgages for the elderly, and providing employers with incentives to hire workers older than 60 - policies that fall outside the central bank's remit and would need to be implemented by a new government.