Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the leader of the Progressive Movement has shrugged off a boast by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra that the Pheu Thai Party will win the next election by a landslide.
Mr Thanathorn said he was confident that the People’s Party (PP) — the latest iteration of the Future Forward Party that he helped to found five years ago — would gain a majority in the 2027 election.
In the 2023 election, Pheu Thai asked voters to give it a landslide so that it could push its policies through. In the end, it came second to the Move Forward Party, the now-dissolved predecessor of the PP. However, Pheu Thai was able to form a coalition after Move Forward failed in its attempt to secure enough support.
Move Forward was dissolved because of its stance on amending the lese-majeste law. Now Pheu Thai is in the crosshairs of an anonymous petitioner who wants the Election Commission to investigate violations that could lead to its court-ordered dissolution.
Mr Thanathorn expressed his disagreement with the idea of dissolving parties time and again, and overreach in general by the Constitutional Court. The people should be the ones to decide which party they want to lead the country, he said.
He also declined to comment on rumours that the 25-MP Democrat Party, now in opposition, will join the coalition.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra would decide which parties to include in or exclude from the coalition, he said, adding that if the democrats did defect, it would not weaken the opposition’s stability.
In a related development, Pakornwut Udompipatskul, a list-MP for the People’s Party and acting chairman of the opposition coordination committee, said the party has now been officially recognised.
The Election Commission has informed the Secretariat of The House of Representatives to update the records and status of MPs from the now-defunct Move Forward Party to reflect their new PP membership status, he said.
The formal process for appointing PP leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut as opposition leader will take place after the government presents its policies to the parliament, Mr Pakornwut said.
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