The opposition party that is advocating for sweeping institutional reform in Thailand has received an astonishing victory from Thai voters.
Early results indicate that Move Forward surpassed all expectations to win 151 of the lower house’s 500 seats.
The Pheu Thai party, led by the daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is now trailing by ten seats.
This political earthquake, according to analysts, signifies a dramatic shift in popular opinion.Additionally, it is a resounding rejection of the two military parties that make up the present government as well as Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who orchestrated the coup that overthrew an elected government in 2014. Only 15% of the seats were gained by the ruling alliance.
According to Prajak Kongkirati, a political scientist at Thammasat University, the majority of votes represent the need for change and the necessity to leave the “Prayuth regime.” It demonstrates that a much larger number of people than expected support the Move Forward call for change.
Move Forward supporters in Thailand have already taken to social media to celebrate their party’s triumph, dubbing themselves “organic canvassers” and referring to it as the “wind of change” and the “dawn of a new era.”
Thai elections are being disrupted by young radicals
“This election really tells you that only four years have passed, but the people’s thinking has changed a lot, both the establishment and the pro-democracy camps,” said one tweet. It added that “democracy cannot be taken for granted.”
Pita Limjaroenrat, 42, the leader of Move Forward and a Harvard University graduate, tweeted that he was “ready” to become the nation’s 30th prime minister. He added, “If they don’t adapt to the thinking and the demands, they can really lose their ground.” We have the same aspirations and goals. Together, we think that our beloved Thailand can improve and that change is achievable if we begin to work on it right away,” he added.Once upon a time, it would have been unimaginable for a party like Move Forward, which calls for major reforms in Thailand’s government, economy, military role, and even laws defending the monarchy, to garner more support and votes than any of its rivals.
The fact that these problems also gave rise to a student-led protest movement that lasted several months in 2020 is not a coincidence. Several of Move Forward’s candidates had served as the movement’s top figures. Additionally, young, enthusiastic voters—many of whom were Move Forward supporters—played a significant role in the election’s outcome, much as the 2020 protests.
In the weeks preceding the election, the atmosphere was clearly in favor of the youthful party. On Thai social media, a fresh wave of memes with people making large strides or jumps as a clear reference to Move Forward’s Thai moniker, appeared.
And on Sunday, that was demonstrated in person when voters made oversized, exaggerated gestures to demonstrate their support. Election laws forbid voters from publicly expressing their views, therefore this was the only method to reveal their leanings. Others campaigned for the party in bright orange shirts, flip-flops, and shoes.
Candidates for Move Forward relied on social media and occasionally antiquated technology like bicycles to spread their message because they had fewer resources than their rivals. It helped that they appeared to have a much clearer vision than other parties.
Initially elusive, Move Forward’s reformist competitor Pheu Thai declared that any partnership with parties connected to the 2014 military coup was unacceptable. The party was also young and daring, and during the previous legislature, it had a reputation for adopting moral stands.
Additionally, it benefited from what seems to be a general societal desire for change. Just 14% of the 52 million electors in Thailand are under the age of 26. Despite this, voters under 26 have worked hard to convince older voters to support Move Forward in order to provide their generation a better future.
What needs to be decided first is whether the two reformist parties can form a government despite the change mandate.
The 250 senators who were all nominated by the military government under the leadership of the current prime minister, Prayuth, are permitted to participate in the parliamentary vote to choose the next leader. Despite the fact that Move Forward and Pheu Thai together hold close to 60% of the seats in the lower house, this provides them the authority to thwart their formation.If a coalition between Move Forward and Pheu Thai includes the third-largest party, Bhum Jai Thai, with its 70 seats and a few others, they may be able to outvote the senate. However, there is also a chance that the losing conservative group will use an extra-parliamentary tactic to try to keep the reformists from gaining control.
Although a military takeover is doubtful, it is possible that Move Forward will be declared ineligible by a court on a technicality, as was the case with Future Forward in 2020.
The other question is whether Move Forward and Pheu Thai can cooperate effectively given that their relationships were occasionally tense during the last legislature. And while Mr. Pita, the head of Move Forward, is a skilled legislator, he has not yet demonstrated his ability to forge and maintain a coalition, which is a more ruthless art.
And Pheu Thai has to deal with the disappointment of its own expectations being smashed, including its aspirations of winning decisively.
It has given Move Forward, a movement commonly regarded as an upstart, the title of being the champion of people opposed to conservative, military-backed rule. It must now adjust to becoming an equal, if not junior, partner in a coalition, which is new for Pheu Thai and its leaders.
