The People’s Party is entering the upcoming general election without formerly one of its most controversial policies which was viewed by many political observers as having contributed to its victory in the poll in 2023.
Over the past week, its leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut repeatedly vowed that his party will not include amending the lese majeste law, better known as Article 112, in its campaign platform.
Campaigning on amending the Penal Code article that imposes harsh penalties for insulting the monarchy was both a boon and a bane for the party.
It may have struck the right chord with many young voters critical of the establishment in the last election, but it ultimately prevented the party from gaining executive power.
Even though People’s Party has quietly buried the idea of reviving the campaign, it still came back to haunt it. It was Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul who last week confronted the country’s biggest opposition party on the issue.
Anutin said there was no way that his Bhumjaithai Party would join hands with the People’s Party as long as it doesn’t abandon the idea of amending the article.
Anutin is known as a staunch royalist who refused to vote for Pita Limjaroenrat, then leader of the now-defunct Move Forward Party, as prime minister because of the latter’s advocacy for amending the article.
Move Forward, the predecessor of the People’s Party, won the most seats in the election in 2023 and tried unsuccessfully to nominate its then leader Pita as prime minister. Anutin and MPs of his Bhumjaithai Party, along with most of the members of the Senate, voted against Pita’s nomination because of the party’s stand on Article 112.
In August 2024, the Constitutional Court ruled that the party’s push for reform of the article was tantamount to attempting to overthrow the constitutional monarchy, a fundamental principle of the Thai state.
The court ordered the party disbanded and banned its executives, including Pita, from politics for ten years.
Political observers noted that since the court ruling, Natthaphong and other leaders of the People’s Party have avoided mentioning the idea of amending the article.
References to the issue have also been removed from all of the party’s social media platforms.
But it was Prime Minister Anutin who first revived the issue when asked by reporters to respond to Natthaphong’s recent remarks that his People’s Party will not vote for the Bhumjaithai leader to become prime minister again.
Natthaphong said his party was betrayed by Bhumjaithai which failed to keep its promise to push through the bill to amend the Constitution in exchange for its support for Anutin’s premiership in October.
Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva also doubled down on the People’s Party by declaring he will not join forces with political parties that advocate divisive policies – an apparent reference to amending of Article 112.
Natthaphong accused Anutin and Abhisit of distorting what he said to mislead people to believe that the People’s Party is still advocating amending the article.
“Khun Anutin and Khun Abhisit should stop campaigning on this issue,” he said.
Natthaphong said his party is complying with the ruling of the Constitutional Court that prohibits political parties from campaigning on the issue of Article 112.
Despite the apparent feeling of animosity between them, Natthaphong does not totally rule out the possibility of his party joining forces with Bhumjaithai in forming the next coalition government.
“Our preconditions are very clear. One of them is that we will not accept anyone associated with grey businesses—whether drugs, gambling, or scam activities—in the Cabinet,” he said when asked whether the People’s Party would form a coalition with Bhumjaithai.
Political analysts believe that Bhumjaithai and the People’s Party are most likely to emerge top winners in the upcoming election scheduled for February 8.
