Dynasties still dominate Southeast Asian politics

Dynasties are central to Southeast Asian politics as parties are weak, patronage is entrenched and family names are the most durable political brands.

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But they also face persistent difficulties. Heirs inherit office without real authority, patriarchs refuse to step aside and rivals, whether other families or powerful institutions, intervene. With two prominent political families locked in a bitter feud in the Philippines, the Shinawatra clan currently being sidelined in Thailand and the Hun family navigating an uncertain succession in Cambodia, now is the right moment to take stock of how dynastic politics operates throughout Southeast Asia.

The Philippines offers perhaps the starkest example of dynastic democracy in Southeast Asia. Philippine politics remains structured less by parties or programs than by family blocs, with the Marcos and Duterte clans foremost among them. Coalitions rest on name recognition and patronage networks that have proved more durable than any formal party institution. The Philippine system remains fiercely competitive. But dynastic politics there narrows true democratic representation and weakens accountability. It also leaves coalitions prone to fracture.