Thailand’s most popular party is kept out of office – but the youth are uprising against anti-democratic powers

The Move Forward Party in Thailand won a landslide victory at the May 14 election in 2023 with 36.4% of the popular votes. They formed an eight-party coalition with 312 seats in the House of Representatives, consisting of 500 seats, and nominated party leader Pita Limjaroenrat to be Prime Minister. The coalition accounted for 68.2% of the popular votes.

Partnership

The Move Forward Party is part of The Network for Social Democracy in Asia (SocDem Asia), which the Danish Social Democratic Party has partnered with since 2016.

However, the Move Forward Party has been excluded from power by the unelected 250-member Senate, which is dominated by military appointees and has significant sway over government formation and the appointment of the prime minister. This is according to the country's constitution, which was drafted by the previous military government after the coup d’état in 2014.

The Move Forward Party’s party programme contains several new and progressive proposals: decentralising political power, subordinating the military to civilian leadership, drafting a new constitution, and amending the lèse-majesté laws, making it illegal to criticise the monarchy. Especially the latter has caused great dispute among the pro-military and conservative groups and is one of the main reasons why the Senate is determined to keep the Move Forward Party out of power.

The need for a new party

DIPD spoke with Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, one of the founders of the precursor to the Move Forward Party, during his visit to Denmark. Thanathorn visited Denmark as part of the party’s partnership with the Danish Social Democratic Party through DIPD. Thanathorn explained why the party was founded in the first place:

"In my 45 years of life, I have witnessed four coup d’états. And I saw no hope when I looked at the spectrum of existing political parties. I could not let my children grow up in this undemocratic country and fear for their freedom every day. So, I saw two options. I could move. I could take my family and leave for a democratic country. Or I could stay, fight, and create a political party for a democratic Thailand and make a better future for my children. I chose to stay."

Dissolved by the Constitution

In 2014, the latest coup d'état in Thailand took place, changing the constitution ‘in order to maintain the democratic regime of government and the sovereign power derived from the Thai people’. Contrary to the uplifting words, the constitution adopted in 2017 contains mechanisms that are now being used to keep the Move Forward Party out of office.

"The 2019 election was designed for the junta leader to win and retain power, but the Future Forward Party challenged this. This made me believe that things could change and that it might even happen in my lifetime,” Thanathorn explains.

Thanathorn founded the Future Forward Party in October 2018, giving the party five months to campaign before the election in 2019. Surprisingly, the party gained almost 18% of the popular vote and became the third-biggest party in parliament.

After the surprising election result, the Constitutional Court dissolved the party and disqualified Thanathorn’s MP status, banning him from running for office for the following 10 years. Thanathorn was accused of holding shares in a media company while running for office, which would be illegal. Thanathorn states that the shares were sold before he registered as an MP candidate. Nonetheless, the Constitutional Court unanimously voted against his case.

However, the responsiveness among the Thai people motivated the party to continue their struggle, and the Move Forward Party was established in March 2020. As Thanathorn is no longer allowed to run for office, he is now the leader of the Progressive Movement Foundation but continues to be a face and supporter of the Move Forward Party.

Thailand’s quest for democracy

In Thailand, the pursuit of democracy goes back 90 years, beginning with the Siam Revolution in 1932. The country has since experienced 13 coups d’état, providing a world record of one coup every seven years. This is a huge problem for the democratic development of Thailand, according to Thanathorn.

"No one seriously considers how the coup d'états are obstacles to our society and our democratic development. If we want Thailand to develop and its people to become equal and free, we must defend democracy and human rights. The biggest problem in Thailand is that we must put an end to the coup d'états."

“The next generation, our children, should not have to experience the next coup d’état. If we succeed in creating a nation without a coup every seven years, then I have done my job and I am out of politics. I am not doing this because I want to be prime minister or a full-time politician. I want my country to be a democratic society. A country where no one will go to jail for expressing themselves. As it is right now, I face the risk of going to jail; my freedom is so limited,” he continued.

Challenging the monarch with soft power

The Siam Revolution demanded democracy but failed to abolish the monarchy, and Thailand turned into a constitutional monarchy. The monarch is head of state, and the country holds strict lèse majesté laws with imprisonment up to 15 years for defaming, insulting, or threatening the royal family in Thailand.

Copyright/photographer

Kan Sangtong

For the first time since the 1932 revolution, people talk about monarchy reform publicly. And as a result, the Future Forward Party was dissolved. Thailand has never been at this point before, where people question the monarchy; it is unfamiliar territory. No one has ever talked about monarchy reform before. It is against the law. However, for the first time in decades, people are openly discussing it,” Thanathorn states.

The Thai people are finding ways to express their hopes and support for a more democratic future, not just through hard power but through soft power. In cinemas, for example, an increased number of people refuse to stand during the royal anthem played before any movie is shown. This reveals a changing attitude towards the monarchy and is a way for people to show their discontent with the status quo.

“This is fundamental. Dictators, if they are not the smartest, rule with guns and imprisonment. But if they are smart, they rule by stories and make people believe in their fairy tales. Now people stop believing in those fairy tales. We are living in a very exciting time in Thailand’s history,” Thanathorn states.

The youth’s uprising against monarchy and conservative powers

The youth movement plays an important role in the Move Forward Party’s success, according to Thanathorn:

“The youth’s future is so insecure. They do not know if they can find a job when they graduate, and power is controlled by very few people. They feel hopeless about their future and want to see change. Therefore, they talk to their parents and tell them to vote for the Move Forward Party, and that is why we see this amazing election result. Both in 2019 and now in 2023.”

In the past, the TV stations and the radios were owned by the military, but with social media and the technical evolution, more and more people, especially young people, experience a mismatch between what they have learned in school and what they see and hear from the rest of the world. This leads to an uprising among the young with hope for a different future, according to Thanathorn.

“Social media gives us a way to communicate with people. The 2019 election was the first time that the power of social media was used strategically, and it actually made a huge difference. We could use the media to tell and share that Thailand could change,” Thanathorn says.

Thailand’s democratic future

Thanathorn believes that conservative powers in the country will find a way in the constitution to dissolve the Move Forward Party before the next election, but states that the leaders of the party are not scared; they are ready to do what is needed for the party to re-establish and continue the work for a more democratic Thailand.

"Our next campaign will be for a change in the constitution. Democracy will never exist with this current constitution. Thailand is an influential country in its region, so we have a responsibility to lead the way towards a more democratic future."