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The Move Forward Party (MFP; , ) was a major
social democratic Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...
and progressive political party in
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
. It was the second incarnation of the progressive Future Forward Party, which was founded in 2018 and dissolved by the
Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ru ...
on 21 February 2020. In the 2023 general election, the party won the most seats in the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
but was unable to form a government. The party was dissolved by the
Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ru ...
on 7 August 2024 and subsequently succeeded by the third incarnation, the People’s Party (). The party’s flagship agenda was to amend Thailand's strict lèse-majesté laws, which forbid the insult of the monarchy. It opposed the remaining influence of the
military junta A military junta () is a system of government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''Junta (governing body), junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the Junta (Peninsular War), national and local junta organized by t ...
, which ruled the country from 2014 to 2019. The party was dissolved by the
Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ru ...
on 7 August 2024 on the grounds that it violated the constitution by proposing an amendment of a law against insulting the monarchy known as Article 112. The party is succeeded by the People's Party with Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut chosen by members as the party leader. The party was originally founded in 2014 as the Ruam Pattana Chart Thai Party () and later changed its name to the Phung Luang Party (). After the
2019 Thai general election Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' D ...
, it reverted to its original name. It then obtained the name Move Forward on 21 February 2020 after becoming the ''de facto'' successor to the dissolved Future Forward Party.


History

The party was officially founded on 1 May 2014 as the Ruam Pattana Chart Thai Party. In early 2020, the party became a ''de facto'' successor to the Future Forward Party, which had been dissolved by a controversial
Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ru ...
order, as following the decision, 55 of Future Forward's 65 MPs (led by Pita Limjaroenrat) announced their plan to join. They vowed to continue the progressive and anti-junta agenda of Future Forward. The party's name was then changed to Move Forward, along with the release of a new logo similar to that of Future Forward.


2023 election

The party won 36.23 percent of the vote in the 2023 general election, gaining 151 seats and becoming the largest party in the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
, which caused a major electoral upset. Following this success, MFP and seven other parties announced the formation of a coalition aiming to form a government with Pita as prime minister. While the coalition controlled a majority in the lower house, this was not enough to secure the premiership as under the military-drafted constitution, the prime minister is elected by both the elected lower house and the military-appointed senate, and Pita lost his bid to become prime minister on 13 July 2023 after failing to secure enough votes in Parliament. He received 324 votes, 51 votes short of the 375 vote threshold. He also received 182 votes against him with 199 abstentions. In the Senate, where he faced the most opposition, he received 13 votes. Shortly after this, several protests were held in Bangkok in support of Move Forward and Pita, with smaller protests taking place in Phuket. On 19 July, Pita was suspended from being an MP by the Constitutional Court of Thailand over his shares in the defunct broadcaster ITV he inherited from his father Pongsak Limjaroenrat. While this did not disqualify him from becoming prime minister, Parliament decided on the same day that parliamentary regulations did not allow re-nomination of a failed candidate. Move Forward had previously stated that should it become clear it will not win, the party would instead allow coalition partner Pheu Thai Party, who won the second most votes in the 2023 election, to nominate their own candidate, most likely
Paetongtarn Shinawatra Paetongtarn Shinawatra (, , ; born 21 August 1986) is a Thai politician who is the 31st prime minister of Thailand since 2024 and leader of the Pheu Thai Party since 2023. A member of the Shinawatra family, she is the youngest child of the 23rd ...
or
Srettha Thavisin Srettha Thavisin (, , ; born 15 February 1962) is a Thai businessman and former politician who served as the 30th Prime Minister of Thailand from 2023
. After holding talks with other parties, who expressed unwillingness to support any coalition including Move Forward, Pheu Thai announced that it would break up the eight-party coalition and instead attempt to form a coalition that excludes Move Forward. On 15 August, Chaithawat Tulathon announced that the party would not vote of a Pheu Thai candidate for prime minister. This was a result of Pheu Thai planning to expand its coalition to include more conservative parties, such as Bhumjaithai, and parties that supported the military junta, such as United Thai Nation and Palang Pracharat, with Move Forward stating that it was not the will of the people. On 25 August, Sripatum University and D-vote published a poll results conducted between 22 and 24 August on the topic of "If there is an election today, Which party will you vote for?" Move Forward has gained a significant amount of support by over 62.39% since Pheu Thai split with Move Forward in the government formation and formed a government with pro-junta parties.


Party leadership change

On 23 September 2023 at a party general meeting, Chaithawat Tulathon was elected as the new leader of the Move Forward Party to succeed Pita Limjaroenrat, who stepped down earlier this month due to continuing uncertainty about his status as an MP. Apichart Sirisunthon was appointed as the new secretary-general, taking over from Mr Chaithawat. Additionally, Mr. Pita assumed the role of chairman in a newly formed three-member advisory group. Phicharn Chaowapattanawong, Nattawut Buaprathum, Supisan Phakdeenarunat and Sirikanya Tansakun were named deputy party leaders and Parit Watcharasindhu as the party's spokesperson.


2023 sexual assault scandal

Two MFP MPs, Wuttiphong Thonglour of Prachinburi province and Chaiyamparwaan Manpianjit of Bangkok, were found guilty of sexual assault. After a meeting between the party executive committee members and MPs, MFP leader Chaithawat Tulathon announced that the party had reached a consensus, agreeing that the two members found guilty should be expelled from the party. As per the
constitution of Thailand The Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand (; ) provides the basis for the rule of law in Thailand. Since the abolition of the absolute monarchy in 1932, Thailand has had 20 charters or constitutions. Many changes followed military coups, ref ...
, a three-fourth majority vote within the party is required to expel a party member . The case of Wuttiphong Thonglour garnered majority agreement and he was promptly expelled. The case of Chaiyamparwaan Manpianjit, did not attain a sufficient vote, disciplinary action was taken against Chaiyamparwaan Manpianjit, which included a public apology and financial compensation to the victim; however, Chaiyamparwaan was later expelled from the party due to allegations of revealing the victim's identity, thereby violating the conditions set forth by the Move Forward Party.


2024 court rulings


On Pita

On 24 January 2024, the Constitutional Court of Thailand acquitted former Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat of owning shares in the defunct media company iTV.


On the party's stance on amending lèse-majesté laws

In the run-up for a verdict by the Constitutional Court on whether the party's lèse-majesté policies were constitutional, the MFP was confident that the court would side with them. However, the ruling by the Constitutional Court on 31 January ruled that the party and its leaders violated Thailand's constitution through its campaign to amend the country's strict lèse-majesté laws. The nine-member court ruled unanimously that the MFP's attempts to amend the law amounted to an attempt to overthrow the monarchy. The court ordered the party to "stop any act, opinion expression via speech, writing, publishing or advertisement or conveying any message in other forms" that sought to amend the law. The issue had been petitioned to the court by Theerayut Suwannakasorn. The ruling opened the way for the party's dissolution, similar to its predecessor the Future Forward Party. Thai political activist and member of the
Palang Pracharath Party Palang Pracharath Party (, , ; ) is a Thai right-wing conservative civil-military political party with ties to the National Council for Peace and Order, the military junta that ruled the country after the 2014 coup. It was established in 2018 by ...
, , has said he was preparing to go to the election commission (EC) on 1 February to seek the party's dissolution. Ruangkrai had previously twice petitioned the EC in 2023 to dissolve the party over it attempts the amend Section 112, and also filed the complaint against Pita over his iTV shares. Due to the court's ruling, the EC must accept Ruangkrai's petition as it represented a breach of Section 92 of the Political Parties Act which stated that the EC must propose any party's dissolution to the Constitutional Court after an act deemed hostile to the monarchy. The former election commissioner, Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, said that dissolution faces several consquencies for party executives responsible for proposing the policy in 2021. In response, MFP lawmaker Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn said that the movement to amend the lèse-majesté laws would continue even if the party is dissolved, saying that "the word 'party' has already become an ideology". Chaithawat Tulathon said that the verdict risked the monarchy becoming a bigger point of conflict in Thai politics, while Pita told reports after the ruling that the party's policy was not meant to cause any deterioration to the monarchy. The ruling also opens the possibility that no political party in Thailand could ever legally push for amending the law. Munin Pongsapan, associate professor at Thammasat University's Faculty of Law, said that it "effectively mean that the lese majeste law would become untouchable". In March 2024, Election Commission of Thailand approved a resolution requesting the Constitutional Court to disband the Move Forward Party, based on the court's ruling. In August 2024, the Constitutional Court ruled for the dissolution of the party as well as a 10-year-long ban from politics on eleven former and current party executives. The 143 party-affiliated lawmakers serving in the Thai parliament can retain their seats, but must find a new party within 60 days.


Party succession

The succeeding party of the Move Forward party is the People's Party (พรรคประชาชน), not to be confused with the People's Party (คณะราษฎร), with Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut as the party leader.


Ideology and political position

The Move Forward Party was a progressive centre-left political party. They were known for their pro-democracy platform and their aim to remove military influence in Thai politics. The party's base of support mainly consisted of young and educated urbanites mostly found in
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...
and its populous suburbs. Some of their policies included the legalisation of same-sex marriage, economic equality,
social welfare Welfare spending is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifically to social insurance p ...
programs,
devolution Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territori ...
of government, scrapping military conscription, seeking a referendum concerning the rewriting of the
constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...
, and reforming the monarchy. It also aimed to amend Thailand's strict
lèse-majesté ''Lèse-majesté'' or ''lese-majesty'' ( , ) is an offence or defamation against the dignity of a ruling head of state (traditionally a monarch but now more often a president) or of the state itself. The English name for this crime is a mod ...
laws and supports scrutinizing the royal budget. In 2023, the party ran on a platform emphasizing the "3Ds" of
demilitarization Demilitarisation or demilitarization may mean the reduction of state armed forces; it is the opposite of militarisation in many respects. For instance, the demilitarisation of Northern Ireland entailed the reduction of British security and milita ...
, demonopolization, and
decentralization Decentralization or decentralisation is the process by which the activities of an organization, particularly those related to planning and decision-making, are distributed or delegated away from a central, authoritative location or group and gi ...
, which Limjaroenrat said would lead to democratization, peace process, and reform.


2023 manifesto

Social policy * Allow elections for provincial governors * Reform the Lèse-majesté laws * Reduce military influence in politics * Reduce bureaucracy & promote transparency * Replace military conscription with a voluntary system * Draft & implement a new democratic constitution * Decentralize the central government * Decriminalize sex work, adult toys & films * Legalize same-sex marriage * Promote gender equality & reduce domestic violence * Promote LGBT+ rights Economic policy * Raising the minimum wage to ฿450 (Adjusted with inflation every year) * Break up monopolies and increase competition in the economy * Encourage health/wellness & green tourism * Promote the freedom for workers to join labor unions & collectively bargain * Reduce tax burdens for SMEs Welfare policy * Establish a modern welfare state * Establish a 40-hour workweek (People working over 40 hr. must be paid overtime) * Expand child benefits (฿3000 gift for newborns & ฿1200/month for each children) * Expand maternity leave to 180 days (for both parents) * Expand childcare services * Increase funding for mental health services * Promote fair employment benefits & contracts Education policy * Reform the education system to be friendlier & safer for students * Reform school curriculum to include more choices for students * Encourage schools to be bilingual * Increase funding for public education * Allow students to have more freedom in their choices of clothes (no mandatory uniforms) * Improve work-life balance for students


Organization


Leadership

Move Forward has been led by Chaithawat Tulathon from 23 September 2023 to 7 August 2024.


Party structure

Since 23 September 2023: * Leader: Chaithawat Tulathon ** First Deputy Leader: Phicharn Chaowapattanawong ** Second Deputy Leader: Nattawut Buaprathum ** Third Deputy Leader: Supisan Phakdeenaruna ** Fourth Deputy Leader: Sirikanya Tansakul * Secretary General: Apichart Sirisunthon * Spokesperson: Parit Watcharasindhu * Advisory Chairman: Pita Limjaroenrat


Election results


General elections


Bangkok Metropolitan Administration elections


Bangkok gubernatorial elections


Bangkok Metropolitan Council elections


References

{{Thai political parties 2014 establishments in Thailand Banned political parties in Thailand Centre-left parties in Asia Left-wing parties in Thailand Progressive parties in Asia Political parties established in 2014 Political parties disestablished in 2024 Political parties in Thailand Social democratic parties in Asia Social liberal parties 2024 disestablishments in Thailand Thai political parties established in 2014