Thitinan Pongsudhirak, senior fellow of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, said the Move Forward Party’s chances of leading the next government hang in the balance. The issue appears to hinge in party on whether iTV should still be considered a media company after its TV concession was terminated in 2007. Pita, 42, said he had shares in the Independent Television, or iTV, station, which were inherited from his father, but have since been transferred from his ownership. Under election rules, a candidate is prohibited from being an owner or shareholder of a media company. The obstacles Pita and his party are facing “highlight the country’s ongoing struggle to move away from a hybrid military regime that is still committed to protecting vested interests in the conservative status quo,” said Napon, the political scientist.Īnother setback for the Harvard University-educated Pita is that the Election Commission of Thailand has launched an investigation into whether he knew he may have not been eligible to run as an MP in the elections. Undeterred, Pita has said he is confident an application for the amendment will be submitted at the appropriate time. The coalition parties have not been able to agree on an amendment. Amending it was a major campaign pledge of the Move Forward Party. The law is outlined in Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code and carries lengthy prison sentences for violations. Some of the key points included military reforms and an end to conscription.īut missing in the joint agreement is an amendment to Thailand’s lese majeste law, which prohibits criticism of the monarchy. In May, the Move Forward Party signed a joint memorandum of understanding with its seven partners, outlining a 23-point agenda. But deputy leader Phumtham Wechayachai recently said abandoning the coalition would be a “last resort.” The party is seen as more appealing to conservatives and military loyalists in the Senate. The Pheu Thai Party was the pre-election favorite but placed second with 141 seats. "These obstacles suggest that the Move Forward Party’s path to forming a government will be extremely challenging and uncertain,” he told VOA. There is also concern that the proposed coalition could fall apart under the Move Forward Party’s leadership. These include “ongoing attempts to undermine Pita’s eligibility as a prime ministerial candidate via referee institutions an uneasy coalition with the Pheu Thai Party, which stands to gain if Pita is disqualified,” Napon said. He said Pita and his Move Forward Party face several challenges in addition to the need for support from the Senate. Napon Jatusripitak is a political scientist at the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, a Southeast Asia research group based in Singapore. Pro-Democracy Party's Election Win 'Turning Point' for Thailand The party is still waiting to see whether it will be backed by enough senators to give it the required total of 376 seats. Outpolling all other parties with 151 of the 500 seats of parliament's lower house, the party then formed a coalition with seven other opposition parties, including previous winners Pheu Thai, to reach a total of 312 seats.īut to form a government it must command a majority of seats in the lower house plus the 250-seat Senate, whose members are appointed by the military. Millions picked the orange-clad Move Forward Party, headed by Pita Limjaroenrat, to lead the next government. It has been only a few weeks since Thailand’s historic elections, which saw opposition parties win a decisive victory, but already questions are being raised about whether the winners will ever have an opportunity to govern the country.įor many Thais, the elections were seen as a gateway into a new political era and an end to several years of instability marked by military rule, civil unrest and economic downturns.
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