A week before Thailand’s parliament opens, Future Forward’s Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit launches uphill bid to be prime minister
- The youthful Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit put his name forward for the top job this week, but with mounting legal woes, a lack of consensus among anti-junta parties, and the scales tipped in the military’s favour, his move is seen as ‘symbolic’
Although the first democratically-elected parliament since the 2014 coup is set to open next week, it remains to be seen which of the two main rival factions will govern.
In the latest development, Thanathorn – whose millennial-friendly Future Forward Party came in third in the March 24 election – said on Thursday he was ready to lead a new coalition, after the seven-piece anti-junta bloc he was part of struggled to agree on a ruling pact.
The announcement by the 40-year-old billionaire entrepreneur was a U-turn from his firm stance against becoming prime minister, and comes as his legal woes – including criminal charges supporters say are trumped up by the junta – pile up.
Final results released last week showed junta chief Prayuth Chan-ocha’s side had secured enough seats in the 500-seat legislature to make him prime minister.
