Thailand election 2023: Move Forward, Pheu Thai bullish on bringing country back to democracy, ousting army in tight vote
- Move Forward’s Pita Limjaroenrat and Pheu Thai leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra hope young voters wearied by inequality and coups would help wrest power from conservatives
- But Prime Minister Prayuth is in no mood to give them walkover in Sunday’s election in which he has cast himself as the keeper of true Thai values taking on young iconoclasts railing against the monarchy
“This is the moment, change is coming,” said Rangsiman Rome, whom has relentlessly nagged, nibbled and humiliated the military-backed government as a Move Forward MP, with exposes of alleged corruption, nepotism and incompetence, later chopped up and devoured over social media by the party’s fans.
Some of those followers are now sharing TikTok tips on what to wear when they vote on Sunday, and everything is orange: headbands, sunglasses, earrings and crop tops.
Move Forward’s predecessor was dissolved soon after its breakout performance in a 2019 election, while previous incarnations of Pheu Thai have been abolished by courts which intervene on the side of the army-led conservative establishment.
“Maybe they [the army] can use their power to abolish the party or take down our prime ministers,” said Rangsiman outside Friday’s final rally. “But if that happens we have to continue and unite the people to bring Thailand back to democracy.”
Thailand’s youth, wearied by inequality, low graduate wages and a power structure which enforces deference to teachers, the military and royalty, are in Move Forward’s camp.
Experts predict the party would do well to gain around 70 seats which could put it into a coalition government. Party insiders say they are eyeing 100 or more, with anywhere between 8-10 million votes showing it has the keys to the political future.
“We hope it will be a big turnout tomorrow. People want change … we want 310 seats [a landslide], the time is now for a new government,” Paetongtarn told This Week in Asia on Saturday.
“May 14 will be a historic day where Thailand will change from a junta rule to a democratic rule,” she earlier said at a Bangkok rally on Friday night.
For former Pheu Thai voter Nampu, this campaign season has given him the chance to listen to stump speeches by Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat – the fresh-faced 42-year-old Harvard graduate who wants to be prime minister and is lionised by his followers in TikTok videos and by fan boys and girls who interrupt rallies with a chorus of “Orange Loves Daddy.”
“Pita is smart and knows the real heart of the problems here,” the 56-year-old said, explaining Pheu Thai plays politics by older rules of patronage and upcountry loyalty to candidates not ideas. “My family is 14 people – they are all voting for Move Forward.”
The Move Forward vote may be limited to the cities, relying on Pheu Thai to achieve a landslide upcountry to block off the chances of conservatives parties patching together a majority in parliament. Yet even in Pheu Thai’s stronghold of Chiang Mai, the needle may be moving.
“All of us younger generations are with Move Forward. We want change. We want a new government,” Chiang Mai voter Warantorn Wongpratang, 23, said.
But if Prayuth has his way that is not going to happen.
He is seeking a return to office, with a strong appeal to older, conservative royalists who are worried that Thailand’s traditional values are being eroded and the monarchy – the apex institution – is at risk in the hands of a generation of young iconoclasts.
As Move Forward’s Pita gave a speech emphasising on inequality, power and change, across Bangkok Prayuth showed a campaign video projecting an apocalyptic Thai future of broken values, disharmony and faithlessness.
Teary-eyed he said “we want the country to move ahead with confidence and strength,” as the prime minister ended a campaign which has pegged him as the competent, honest steward of the country and keeper of true Thai values.
Prayuth leads the conservative parties and needs just 25 seats to be nominated as premier, vowing that he will “just go home” if he does not receive them on Sunday.
But the electoral system is carefully calibrated to give Thailand’s military and its conservative allies a way back into power – even if its candidates fall short of a popular mandate. The country’s 250-member Senate was hand-picked by Prayuth and his allies and there is an expectation they will get behind their patrons.