Thailand is set for a change. A big change. After casting its last vote on Sunday (14 May), the counting began and the results are showing that Thai voters want a change – they have rejected the military-backed government. On Monday morning (15 May), counting revealed that the opposition parties, Move Forward Party (MFP) and the Pheu Thai Party had won the most seats and the largest share of the popular vote in the country’s election.
According to the last count, the progressive MFP and the populist Pheu Thai Party were far out in front with 99 per cent of votes counted. As per an Al Jazeera report, they are projected win 286 seats of the 500, but there’s uncertainty about their ability to form the government since 250 military-appointed members of the upper house also vote on the prime minister.
The Election Commission data revealed that while the MFP had won a total of 148 seats — 113 directly elected and 35 from the party list, the Paetongtarn Shinawatra-led Pheu Thai Party had won a total of 138 seats — 111 directly elected and 27 from the party list.
The leader of the MFP, which was formed only in 2020, Pita Limjaroenrat was ecstatic as the votes kept being counted. Speaking to the media, he said, “Sensational!”
He added, “What we promised the public, we will be consistent after the election.”
พี่น้องประชาชนที่รัก วันนี้ผม พิธา ลิ้มเจริญรัตน์ ‘ชัด’ และ ‘พร้อม’ แล้วที่จะเป็นนายกรัฐมนตรีคนที่ 30 ของประเทศไทย
เรามีความฝัน ความหวัง แบบเดียวกัน และเราเชื่อเหมือนกันว่า ประเทศไทยที่เรารักจะดีกว่านี้ได้ ความเปลี่ยนแปลงเป็นไปได้ ถ้าเราเริ่มต้นลงมือทำตั้งแต่วันนี้… ความฝัน… pic.twitter.com/c66AMdPhpx
— Pita Limjaroenrat (@Pita_MFP) May 14, 2023
The 42-year-old declared it had “closed the door” on any chance of the military-backed parties to form a government and said that he would seek talks with Shinawatra’s party to form a coalition.
We take a closer look at who exactly is this 42-year-old leader who has promised change to the kingdom and overthrown the powerful royalist-military elite.
Rise of Pita Limjaroenrat
Born on 5 September 1980, Limjaroenrat has a political pedigree. He is the nephew of Padung Limjaroenrat, a close aide of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Moreover, his late father Pongsak was an adviser to the Ministry of Agriculture.
After completing his primary schooling in Bangkok, he moved to New Zealand for his second schooling and later became the first Thai student to receive an international student scholarship from Harvard University.
In 2006 when his father passed away, bankers gave him only four months to rescue his family's debt-laden company. At the age of 25, not only did he save his late father’s company – CEO Agrifood – he also propelled it to become one of Asia’s top producers of rice bran oil.
He also worked at international firms, including Merrill Lynch Phatra and Boston Consulting Group.
It was in 2019 that he entered politics as a candidate from the Future Forward party. However, when the Future Forward party was dissolved, he was named the leader of the Move Forward party.
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Shaking up Thai’s politics
Limjaroenrat has quickly been able to amass popularity among the people of Thai owing to his clean image and being an articulate, straightforward and a no-nonsense speaker. In fact, the popularity he enjoys can rival that of any pop star across the world.
Limjaroenrat’s rise in politics also came at a time when a movement was brewing. People had begun protesting on the streets in response to the constitutional court ruling to dissolve Future Forward. By the end of 2020, this had snowballed into huge demonstrations of young people demanding prime minister and 2014 military coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha resign and the constitution be rewritten.
Then, in a move that shocked the nation, protesters also began calling for the monarchy to be reformed, breaking a longstanding taboo not to criticise Thailand’s royal family.
Limjaroenrat said that these events left a legacy of anger that would propel the Move Forward vote.
During his campaigning, Limjaroenrat has offered a vision of a changed Thailand. Speaking to VOA Thai, he said that he saw a country where the cycle of military coups would finally come to an end. Furthermore, he proposed a seven-year break before a military officer can enter politics after leaving service.
He said that a new constitution should be drafted by the people with clauses preventing public servants from supporting a coup and allowing no impunity for coup leaders. His party also has spoken of providing welfare benefits from child care allowances to financial support for elders, nearly worth $20 billion.
The single father– he divorced TV actress Chutima Teepanart in 2019 – Limjaroenrat also featured his daughter, bringing her on stage after speeches, much to the crowds’ delight.
Secret to his success
Limjaroenrat can attribute much of his success in the polls to the young voters, who believe in him. Professor Siripan Nogsuan Sawasdee from the Faculty of Political Science at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University told ABC News that about 60-70 per cent of the younger generation prefer the Move Forward because of its policies – demilitarise, decentralise, and de-monopolise Thailand.
The Move Forward party also promises to reform the royal defamation law.
Professor Siripan said, “Pita, the party leader, seems to be the model for the younger generation. He is good looking and he is good communicating his message to the public.”
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From his time in the US, he also saw the importance of social media and used it to his advantage while campaigning. VOA News reported that Pita’s understanding of the importance of building an online base came from having accompanied his American classmates who volunteered in the Obama campaign.
Tough task for Limjaroenrat
Even though his party may have acquired the most seats, the road ahead for Limjaroenrat isn’t going to be easy. First off, he is going to have to seek a coalition with Shinawatra’s Pheu Thai party.
Zachary Abuza, a political analyst, told Reuters, “The will of the people is likely to be thwarted again. I just don't see the Senate respecting popular will; they were created and appointed to do one thing, maintain the conservative-royalist hold on politics.
“I see no path forward for a 376 seat pro-democracy coalition that is needed to overcome the Senate’s vote for the prime minister.”
With inputs from agencies
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