Thailand’s Move Forward Party, which was disbanded by a court ruling on Wednesday (August 7), has announced its rebranding and a new leadership. The party, which secured the most votes in last year’s general election, will now be known as ‘Prachachon,’ meaning ‘People’ in English, and will be led by 37-year-old tech entrepreneur, Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut. Despite the setbacks, the party has vowed to continue its fight against the country’s entrenched political establishment. The dissolution of the Move Forward Party stems from its controversial campaign proposal to amend Article 112, a law that criminalises defamation of the royal family. The Constitutional Court argued that the party’s stance on this issue amounted to an attempt to undermine the country’s constitutional monarchy. This decision has been met with criticism from international organisations like the European Union, United States, United Nations, and human rights groups, who have condemned the ruling as a blow to democratic openness in Thailand. This is not the first time a progressive party in Thailand has been forced to reinvent itself. Move Forward’s predecessor, the Future Forward Party, was disbanded in 2020 over a campaign financing violation, prompting widespread anti-government protests. The rebranded party’s emergence comes amidst a broader crackdown on progressive political movements in Thailand. The military-appointed Senate, known for its conservative leanings, blocked Move Forward’s charismatic leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, from becoming Prime Minister last year. Pita, along with 10 other party executives, has been banned from holding public office for the next decade. The Move Forward Party’s dissolution and subsequent rebranding highlight the ongoing struggle for democratic reform in Thailand, where conservative forces remain deeply intertwined with the country’s old-money elites and the royalist military.
