Move Forward, the reformist party that led the way in Thailand’s elections

Satin

With a significant youth voter base, Reformist party Movement forward (Advance), whose goal is to modernize the country and reduce the power of the military, surprised by becoming the convincing winner of Sunday’s general election in Thailand against all odds.

The formation, the successor to the banned Future Forward, managed to win 151 seats, receiving more than 10 million votes and beating the heavy favorite of this election, Pheu Thai, linked to former prime minister and exiled oligarch Thaksin Shinawatra.

The young party Movement Forward, with an ambitious reform agenda, exceeded expectationswhile Pheu Thai, linked to the powerful Shinawatra clan, is second with more than 8 million ballots and 141 MPs.

The leader of the Forward Movement, who was ranked second in all polls Limjaroenrat asksa charismatic 42-year-old politician with a youthful appearance who he studied at the elite American universities Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Before fully devoting himself to politics, Pita worked in the family business and as director of the transportation and delivery service application Grab.

The party, identified with the color orange and fresh style, has built a large base of support among a generation of young Thais who are tired of a stagnant political system with many democratic flaws, dominated by the military, monarchy and big wealth. .

Although last night’s victory in Bangkok, the most populous province in which they won, shows how their voter base has expanded to all ages.

Among his proposals is the return of uniformed personnel to the barracks after the “lost decade” during which he was in power. general of the coup plotter Prayut Chan-ochawho became a politician after the coup in 2014 and won lessons in 2019.

In addition, Move Forward has promised end powerful monopolies which dominate the Thai economy and reform the controversial insult to majesty law, which punishes any offense or insult against the royal family with up to 15 years in prison.

The Orange Formation was the only heavy party that dared to speak about such controversial aspects in Thailand, concerning the thorny reform of the monarchy, which is fiercely opposed by the most conservative sectors.

spirit of protest

The unexpected winning party managed to capture the spirit of the student-led protests of 2020, when hundreds of thousands of young people peacefully took to the streets of Bangkok to express their discontent and demand a series of democratic changes involving the military and the all-powerful royal house.

The student movement was calmed down, for the most part, by imprisoning its leaders and 2,000 other youths who are being prosecuted for participating in demonstrations.

More than a dozen protagonists of these protests that shook the foundations of the government in Thailand appeared on the lists of the Forward Movement for this election.

In the 2019 election, the party, then known as Future Forward, won more than six million votes and 81 seats, making it the third largest party in the Thai parliament.

A year later, the Constitutional Court dissolved it over funding irregularities and banned its then-leader, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, from politics for a decade, decisions that sparked street protests.

The question today is whether the powerful will establishment The Thai government, which brings together the military, crown and economic powers, will allow a new generation party to rule.

“The people will not allow a coup”

Pita Limjaroenrat indicated this Monday that the people will not allow another military coup, after those that occurred in 2006 and 2014, or other maneuvers that would prevent him from ruling.

“Thai people have spoken and I am ready to be prime minister,” Pita said at a press conference after the election results announced by the election commission were known.

Asked about a possible coup d’état and other factors that could prevent the formation of a government or his election as prime minister, Pita pointed out that he is not “concerned” but he is not “careless” and confident that “the people of Thailand will not allow this to happen”.

“The city has lost a lot in the last decade. Today is a new day,” said Pita, whose party unexpectedly defeated initially favored Pheu Thai, who has won every election since 2001.

Pheu Thai and other formations linked to the Shinawatra family have been ousted several times by pro-military and royalist elites, including military coups in 2006 and 2014 and the removal of two prime ministers by court rulings in 2008.

reformist agenda

Pita added that Move Forward will remain very popular among the younger generations, will keep its reform agenda in Parliament, and will present a proposal to amend the controversial law on insulting majesty, which provides prison terms of up to 15 years for those who insult the powerful state monarchy.

“We will use Parliament to ensure a comprehensive debate with the majority, transparency and how we should move forward with what it says about the relationship between the monarchy and the people,” he noted.

The first hurdle, however, will be the 250 senators hand-picked by the former military junta who are involved in appointing the prime minister. “Between the six parties, we would get approximately 309 seats out of 500 in the lower house,” party leader Pita Limjaroenrat told a news conference, reiterating his desire to become prime minister shortly after the electoral commission announced provisional results. .