Follow Thai politics in English — government policy, elections, parliament and political developments, with reporting and analysis from Thai PBS World.
Future Forward firebrand party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit announced today that his party will take the leading role in forming a coalition government and that he is ready to lead the government to prevent the junta’s return to power. The surprise announcement by Thanathorn came a few hours after the EC had asked the Constitutional Court
Future Forward party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit’s fate now rests with the Constitutional Court, which will decide whether he is qualified to retain his parliamentary membership, following an EC probe into his alleged shareholding in a media business after he registered his election candidacy. An Election Commission Press release today said that the EC referred the
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has asked critics to stop criticizing the alleged opaque manner in which the new senators were chosen, claiming that they had been screened and royally endorsed. He hit back at critics, who claim that many of the senators are old faces, brothers of people in the government or friends of Deputy
Pheu Thai party core member Chalerm Yubamrung has warned Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to stay clear of the ongoing court case between the Thai public prosecutor and Philip Morris, a giant US-based cigarette manufacturer, or he might end up in prison. The maverick veteran politician claimed that, on May 10th, Foreign Minister Don Pramudvinai sent
Thailand’s current Prime Minister, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, said today that he would do everything “better and better” if he is elected to continue as Prime Minister. For the time being, however, he said that he would not speculate, adding that parliament is yet to open and it will also depend on the members of parliament
The new Senate, which was officially announced today, contains a significant number of active and retired military and police officers, accounting for 40.8 percent of the of the 250 senators. A Royal Command endorsing the 250 senators was published in the Royal Gazette on Tuesday. Active and retired army officers account for the largest single
His Majesty the King will preside over the opening of the new parliament on May 24th, exactly two months after the general election. A Royal Decree has been issued for parliament to convene starting on May 22nd after a Royal Command endorsed 250 new senators. The Election Commission has already approved the election of 150
The Palang Pracharat party leader today received a letter of intent, signed by 11 smaller and lesser known parties, vowing to join the Palang Pracharat-led coalition and to support General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s prime ministerial nomination. Thanking the 11 parties for their unconditional support, party leader Uttama Savanayana said that the 11 parties had not made
Independent political activist Ekkachai Hongkangwan was, this morning, assaulted by four unidentified men in front of the Criminal Court on Ratchadapisek Road in Bangkok. He was due to appear in court on charges of illegal assembly. Ekkachai, who previously had his car torched and was assaulted at least twice by unidentified assailants allegedly for his
A majority of the respondents to a Suan Dusit Poll disagree with cabinet ministers and members of the military junta resigning their current positions to assume new roles in the Senate. The survey, by Suan Dusit University, also shows that 76.24% of the respondents oppose the Election Commission’s (EC) decision to announce the official election
Former Bangkok governor Maj-Gen Chamlong Srimuang and four other co-leaders of the now inactive People’s Alliance for Democracy political group will be among the first of 100 prisoners to be freed from prisons this Friday. The releases from five prisons are the result of several thousand pardons granted by His Majesty the King on the
Immediately after the Election Commission (EC) approved a list of 149 party-list MPs today, the pro-Thaksin Pheu Thai party announced that it would explore all possible legal channels to take action against the commission. The list of party-list MPs endorsed by the EC shows 26 parties get party-list seats, with the Future Forward party taking
