Thailand’s disbanded opposition regroups under new anti-establishment party

BANGKOK: Thailand’s disbanded opposition Move Forward unveiled a new leadership and political vehicle on Friday ( Aug 9 ) that will become the biggest party in parliament, naming it People’s Party, and promising to advance its predecessor’s progressive platform.

The Constitutional Court on Wednesday disbanded the anti-establishment movement Move Forward, which had most seats in the previous election but was prevented from forming a government. Its proposed amendments to a law protecting the royal household from censure ran the risk of subverting democracy and the constitutional king.

Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, a former executive of a fog software company that joined Walk Forward in 2019, has joined the new group, which will be led by all 143 of the surviving politicians.

” We did take on Walk Forward’s philosophy. In a press conference, Natthaphong stated that my job and the party’s goal is to establish a government conducive to shift in 2027.

The breakdown was the most recent example of a two-decade power struggle in Thailand that pits its conservative creation and royalists against well elected functions. It was criticized by the United States, Britain, and the European Union.

With programs that include reforming the army and destroying billion-dollar business monopolies annually, Move Forward’s progressive agenda has garnered a lot of support from younger and urban voters.

Its charge to update a law on aristocratic insults was its demise, riling important generals and monarchists with far-reaching connections, who see the king as sacred.

Natthaphong said the new group would continue the effort to change the law’s known as post 112, but with caution, despite the court’s ruling in January that required Move Forward to stop its campaign.