https://www.scmp.com/rss/523258/feed The latest news and top stories on the Move Forward Party. A prominent Thailand-based political party, the Move Forward Party was a major social democratic and progressive force. Dedicated to a pro-democracy platform and reducing military influence, its key activities included advocating for constitutional reform, amending lèse-majesté laws, legalising same-sex marriage and addressing economic inequality. Despite winning the most seats in the 2023 general election, the party was unable to form a... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Bloomberg,Agence France-Presse Bloomberg,Agence France-Presse More than three dozen former lawmakers of a pro-democracy party in Thailand face a lifetime ban from politics after the nation’s anti-corruption agency found them in breach of ethical standards over a failed bid to amend the royal insult law. The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) said on Monday that 44 former lawmakers from the now-dissolved Move Forward Party had “failed to uphold and maintain the democratic system of government with the king as head of state” by submitting a petition... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342963/double-blow-losing-thai-reformist-party-44-members-face-lifetime-ban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342963/double-blow-losing-thai-reformist-party-44-members-face-lifetime-ban?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 13:55:24 +0000 Reuters Reuters Passersby stopped Thailand’s former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva every now and again to ask for selfies ‌as the salt-and-pepper-haired leader walked through a bustling market in Bangkok, campaigning for general elections on Sunday. “Good to see you again, still handsome just like before,” said ‍one noodle vendor, reflecting voters’ persisting warm feelings for the Oxford-trained economist, who is making an unexpected comeback to frontline politics. Abhisit’s return has fuelled a revival of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342303/former-thai-prime-minster-abhisit-vejjajiva-returns-lead-democrat-revival-ahead-poll?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342303/former-thai-prime-minster-abhisit-vejjajiva-returns-lead-democrat-revival-ahead-poll?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 02:13:58 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones It was a policy meant to ignite a golden age of infrastructure development and put Thailand at the heart of Southeast Asia’s trade and investment for decades to come. Three years – and three prime ministers – after it was first proposed, a multibillion-dollar “landbridge” across Thailand’s southern neck to slash transport times between Asia’s main shipping lanes has now hit a dead end, entangled in the kingdom’s intractable political crisis. As Thais prepare to vote on February 8 for yet another... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341880/thailand-election-looms-voters-seek-national-reset-end-decade-decline?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3341880/thailand-election-looms-voters-seek-national-reset-end-decade-decline?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:12 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s most popular political figure Pita Limjaroenrat has exhorted the public to fight apathy and vote in droves at a February 8 election for his reformist party, which remains the biggest threat to the power of the country’s entrenched elite. Pita led the reformist People’s Party – then called Move Forward – to win the last election in 2023 on a record 76 per cent voter turnout, stunning the establishment as it gobbled up seats from political dynasties and surged into the heartlands of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3341222/thai-comeback-kid-pita-urges-decisive-peoples-party-win-break-establishments-grip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3341222/thai-comeback-kid-pita-urges-decisive-peoples-party-win-break-establishments-grip?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 05:41:48 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones For any party that wants to change Thailand, bitter experience has shown that winning an election and taking power are two entirely different things. Conservatives hold the keys to government in the kingdom, where politicians, tycoons and generals serving the apex power of the monarchy allow elections, but conjure up coups and other political manoeuvres to take down winners perceived as a threat to their power. But this time could be different, says Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, the leader of the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338561/thailand-election-2026-can-orange-wave-break-conservative-grip-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338561/thailand-election-2026-can-orange-wave-break-conservative-grip-power?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jan 2026 02:30:09 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Campaigning for Thailand’s February 8 general election has begun with a frenetic three-way battle defined by corruption allegations, a tense border conflict with Cambodia and the emergence of a new frontman for the once all-conquering Shinawatra political dynasty. But the caravans of politicians criss-crossing the nation and blitzing social media have so far failed to inspire a public, which has seen its electoral choices repeatedly nullified by courts and coups, as conservatives find ways to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338090/thai-election-border-row-aids-anutin-shinawatra-clan-fights-survival-reformists-chase?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338090/thai-election-border-row-aids-anutin-shinawatra-clan-fights-survival-reformists-chase?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 04:30:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Political parties in Thailand on Sunday registered their candidates for the next prime minister, marking the unofficial start of campaigning for the February 8, 2026 general election. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul dissolved Parliament earlier this month to call early polls, after the main opposition party prepared to seek a no-confidence vote over constitutional change. Calling a new election allows Anutin and his Bhumjaithai Party to build up their numbers in the House of Representatives... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337947/who-running-thai-pm-unofficial-campaign-starts-parties-name-candidates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3337947/who-running-thai-pm-unofficial-campaign-starts-parties-name-candidates?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Dec 2025 11:41:09 +0000 Duncan McCargo Duncan McCargo The ascent of Anutin Charnvirakul to the office of Thai prime minister must be a moment of personal celebration. Anutin is well known for piloting his own small plane around Thailand, which must give him a remarkably intimate overview of the country’s landscape and terrain. Yet from a political and indeed moral perspective, that landscape today looks disconcertingly desolate. Few are cheering the abrupt promotion of the leader of the Thai parliament’s third-largest party, who has gained the keys... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3326169/thai-politics-no-longer-orange-yellow-and-red-anutin-turned-it-blue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3326169/thai-politics-no-longer-orange-yellow-and-red-anutin-turned-it-blue?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Sep 2025 05:30:09 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones In Thailand, elections do not necessarily decide who governs. Over the past few weeks, that paradox has played out once more, with a prime minister ousted, the country’s best-known political dynasty sidelined and a new leader taking the reins. For young Thai activist Aitarnik Chitwiset, the endless chaos feels like it has no off-ramp. “I’m disillusioned and exhausted by our politics,” she told This Week in Asia. At just 28, Aitarnik is deeply invested in her country’s future. But like many young... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325372/whats-next-thailand-unpacking-rise-anutin-charnvirakul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325372/whats-next-thailand-unpacking-rise-anutin-charnvirakul?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Sep 2025 00:29:53 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thai lawmakers will vote for a new prime minister on Friday, with Anutin Charnvirakul in pole position for office after his conservative party won the unlikely support of the country’s reformist opposition, which holds the most parliamentary seats. The vote offers a way out of the deadlock that has gripped the politically combustible country since last week when prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was dismissed by judges for an ethics breach in a leaked call with Cambodia’s former leader Hun... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324291/thailands-anutin-moves-closer-power-unlikely-support-reformist-rivals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324291/thailands-anutin-moves-closer-power-unlikely-support-reformist-rivals?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 05:21:25 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s protracted political crisis has taken another messy turn as the conservative establishment, seeking to break a parliamentary deadlock after the ousting of yet another prime minister, reaches out to the very reformists it once sidelined. The People’s Party, whose bold pro-democracy agenda electrified voters at the last general election but unnerved the country’s elite, now seemingly holds the keys to the country’s next government. The ruling Pheu Thai party, meanwhile, was on Tuesday... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324027/thailands-next-pm-will-pro-democracy-peoples-party-reformists-decide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324027/thailands-next-pm-will-pro-democracy-peoples-party-reformists-decide?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 07:38:35 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s Constitutional Court will decide whether to remove prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from office for breaching ethics later on Friday, a ruling that threatens the survival of her family’s political dynasty and could unleash fresh chaos on the turbulent kingdom. It is another make or break day in court for the Shinawatra family, which has been hugely influential in Thai politics for over two decades, but has faced coups and court rulings driven by the conservative... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3323505/make-or-break-time-thailands-shinawatra-clan-paetongtarn-faces-removal-office?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3323505/make-or-break-time-thailands-shinawatra-clan-paetongtarn-faces-removal-office?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 00:00:08 +0000