ExplainerWhat’s next for Thailand after Move Forward Party’s shock election win?
The pro-reform party claimed more than 14 million votes in Sunday’s election and is now seeking to form a coalition with Pheu Thai and othersBut a hostile military-backed royalist establishment won’t make it easy. Nor will the threat of legal woes, investor flight – or yet another coupThailandAmy SoodPublished: 3:00pm, 17 May, 2023Why you can trust SCMP
Pita has seized the political momentum declaring himself to be “the next prime minister of Thailand” as he tries to drive his party to office. The senate, courts, military and a deeply conservative establishment stand in his way.
Here are some of the challenges that lie ahead, as well as some of the ramifications for Thailand – and its place in the world – if Move Forward is able to form a government:
Section 112, stubborn senators
Move Forward’s change narrative incorporates demilitarisation, protecting personal and political freedoms, hacking back monopoly businesses and – crucially – reforming Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code: the royal defamation law that shields the ultra-rich monarchy.