 "Members of Thailand’s Move Forward party canvass support for new – Firstpost")
The progressive party, which received the most votes in last year’s parliamentary elections but was prevented from taking power, will announce its new name and leadership on Friday (August 9).
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Thailand’s Move Forward Party, which was dissolved by a court ruling on Wednesday (7 August), has called on its supporters to rally behind its new identity and leadership. The next day, the party urged people to make their voices heard at the ballot box rather than through street protests.
The Progressive Party, which won the most votes in last year’s parliamentary elections but was prevented from taking power, will announce its new name and leadership on Friday (August 9).
“Move Forward is merging into a new party – all our 143 parliamentarians are coming with us,” the party said, promising that there would be no defections.
Why was the party dissolved?
The Constitutional Court’s decision to dissolve the party follows Move Forward’s controversial campaign proposal to amend a law criminalising defamation of the royal family (known as Article 112).
The court argued that the party’s stance on the issue was an attempt to undermine the country’s constitutional monarchy. The law, which carries penalties of up to 15 years in prison for each offence, has long been a sensitive issue in Thailand’s political landscape. Critics argue that it is being used to suppress dissent.
Move Forward has always stressed that its aim is not to abolish the monarchy, but to ensure that it remains above politics and is not abused as a political tool.
The party’s proposal, however, aroused the anger of the conservative establishment, which remains closely intertwined with the country’s old financial elite and the royalist military.
International reactions to the court’s decision were swift and critical. The European Union, the United States, the United Nations and various human rights organizations condemned the ruling. The EU said it undermined Thailand’s democratic openness.
This is the third time a progressive party in Thailand has been forced to reinvent itself after dissolving. Move Forward’s predecessor, the Future Forward Party, was dissolved in 2020 for violating campaign finance laws, sparking nationwide anti-government protests.
What happens next?
The newly formed party will be led by Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, a 37-year-old technology entrepreneur, and will be called “Prachachon,” which means “people” in English. The party’s spokesman announced the news to reporters in Bangkok, signaling the beginning of a new chapter in its ongoing battle against Thailand’s entrenched political establishment.
The party’s dissolution and subsequent renaming came amid a broader crackdown on progressive political movements in Thailand. The military-appointed Senate, a body known for its conservative tendencies, blocked Move Forward’s charismatic leader Pita Limjaroenrat from becoming prime minister last year. Pita and 10 other party officials were banned from holding public office for the next 10 years.
With contributions from agencies
