Bangkok, victory for progressives: Thais resume 2020 protests

The Phak Kao Klai (Move Forward Party), led by Pita Limjaroenrat, won the most seats, but will have to enter a coalition to govern, probably allying with Pheu Thai, which came in second. The participation, close to 80%, indicates the will to give confidence to the movement that brought the youth to the streets against the generals. Local sources: “The Senate will respect the choice of the prime minister, the real opposition will have to do with demilitarization and the new Constitution.”

Bangkok () – With yesterday’s vote, Thai voters showed their willingness to reject almost a decade of pro-military government, pointing the way to “move forward”: led by Pita Limjaroenrat, 42, the Phak Kao Klai , known internationally as the Move Forward Party, won 151 seats thanks to 14 million votes, followed by Pheu Thai with 10.6 million votes and 141 seats. The two opposition parties have already indicated the possibility of entering into a coalition against the more conservative and pro-monarchist formations. The Bhumjaithai party won 71 seats, the conservative Palang Pracharath – which had previously supported incumbent prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha – 40 and the new party founded by the prime minister, the United Thai Nation Party, just 36.

Of progressive inspiration and supporter of a new Constitution that limits the power of the monarchy and the military junta, the Move Forward Party (MFP) embodies the ideals of the protests that broke out between 2020 and 2021 against the government of the prime minister and former general Prayut Chan-o-cha after the dissolution of the Future Forward Party – the predecessor of the MFP – by order of the Constitutional Court. The demonstrators, including many young people and adolescents, demanded a reform of the monarchy and the abolition of the crime of lèse majesté, which punishes insults to the royal family with sentences of up to 15 years in prison. Human rights defenders noted that it is often used against activists and political opponents and that there are also some minors in Thai jails awaiting trial.

The turnout in the elections was almost 80%: according to local sources, this is an important sign, which indicates in the democratic instrument the will to carry out the demands of the demonstrations that the army repressed by force.

The Pheu Thai party, linked to the Shinawatra dynasty, which had won every general election since 2001, was running former Prime Minister Thaksin’s daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who until a few weeks ago was considered the favorite. However, according to commentators, she was penalized for not clearly distancing herself from the conservative and pro-military parties, maintaining an ambiguous position.

Less than 10 days before the vote, polls indicated that Pita Limjaroenrat was prevailing, who promised the younger generation, witness to two coups in 2006 and 2014, to return the military to the barracks and start the drafting process of a new Constitution. According to local sources, the West finds it difficult to understand the various coups in Thailand, which “more than unconstitutional, are supra-constitutional.” Indeed, the Thai armed forces depend on the king, not the Ministry of Defense: “The generals carried out the coups with the permission of the monarch”, thus defending the monarchy -currently governed by King Rama X- and the current Constitution.

The MFP leader seems destined to become the next prime minister, although the road to change is currently strewn with obstacles. Although he grew up in a family of politicians and civil servants (his father was an adviser in the Ministry of Agriculture and his uncle was an assistant to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra), Pita says he became interested in politics during a study period in New Zealand when he was Teen. After graduating from Bangkok’s Thammasat University, he earned a master’s degree from Harvard and another from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He was CEO of his family’s rice oil company and director of the delivery app Grab Thailand.

An investigation was opened fifteen days ago against the former businessman, accused of owning undeclared shares in a media company, and the Electoral Commission now has 60 days to certify the results of the elections, a period sufficient to disqualify some candidates. The strongest opposition could then come from the Senate: after the 2014 coup led by Prayut, who abandoned his military uniform to dress as a civilian after the 2019 elections, the Military Junta appointed the 250 members of the Upper House, who after the previous electoral round they had voted en bloc in favor of the ex-general’s appointment as prime minister. The future prime minister, to be prime minister, needs at least 376 votes from Parliament.

“Probably”, the local commentators continue, “the Senate will not oppose the result of the elections, because it is clear that the MFP was not only voted for by the young. The population is tired of the coups d’état and demands a radical change with respect to the past. Pita has already said publicly that it would be highly undemocratic to oppose popular election. So difficulties are likely to arise later, when individual proposals are debated in Parliament. The MFF is not only in favor of progressive policies, but He calls for a “demilitarization of the country.” Moving forward, it remains to be seen to what extent the monarchy and the army will be willing to make concessions.