Democrat vs Thaksin: A dramatic end to a historic political rivalry

The Democrat Party and the former Thai Rak Thai Party, followed by the parties with the “DNA of Thaksin Shinawatra”, such as the People Power Party and the Pheu Thai Party, have been fierce rivals for 23 years – since the 2001 general election.

And the Democrat Party has lost every election since then.

Throughout these 23 years, Thai Rak Thai, People Power, and Pheu Thai have never formed a political alliance with the Democrat Party.

In the 2019 election, the Democrat Party crashed to a big defeat, winning only 53 seats. It was proof that the Democrat was no longer a serious competitor to Pheu Thai.

In the 2023 election,  the Democrat Party’s fortunes plummeted even further as it won only 25 seats. Politically, the Democrat was seen as a minor party waiting to join the government.

The long-standing politically parallel paths of the “Thaksin DNA” parties and the Democrat Party will finally converge in 2024.

Following the dismissal of prime minister Srettha Thavisin, the proposal to nominate Paetongtarn Shinawatra as the 31st prime minister began.

On August 28, Pheu Thai officially invited the Democrat Party to join the government formation, offering its former arch-rival two ministerial positions as part of the coalition deal.

This historic event marks the end of the longstanding political rivalry between the Democrat Party and the former adversaries, both inside and outside the election arena.

Political analysts view this as a victory for "Thaksin", as he has succeeded in making the Democrat Party shift from its traditional stance of "opposing the Thaksin regime" to an era where the Democrat Party now embodies the political principle of "no permanent friends or enemies".

Before Thaksin entered the political arena, he nearly joined the Democrat Party. However, the invitation from Chamlong Srimuang, the leader of the Palang Dharma Party, offering Thaksin a ministerial position became a major turning point in his political career.

In his autobiography, he recounts the story as follows:

"You're probably aware that Chuan has invited me to run for election with the Democrat Party next time," Thaksin told Chamlong.

He recounts that, out of respect for the senior Democrat, he reached out to "Prime Minister Chuan for advice”. However, Chuan could not meet with him due to an upcoming trip to Canada. Given the tight schedule, Thaksin decided to accept the invitation from Chamlong.

Thaksin's first political role was in the Chuan Leekpai government in 1995. He was transitioning from a telecommunications business executive to the Minister of Foreign Affairs under the quota of the Palang Dharma Party.

Amidst the internal conflicts within the Democrat-led coalition government, Chuan decided to dissolve the House of Representatives in 1995.

Thaksin was urged by Chamlong to lead the Palang Dharma Party. At the same time, he was in discussions with Chuan, but they were not very serious. Ultimately, Thaksin founded the Thai Rak Thai Party, which achieved stupendous success soon after its inception.

The beginning of the political rivalry started when Thaksin led Thai Rak Thai to an overwhelming victory in the 2001 election.

Democrat Party politicians created a narrative opposing Thaksin's party, fearing that the Thai Rak Thai wave would engulf the southern region – a Democrat Party stronghold.

The Democrat Party had previously protested against the Thai Rak Thai and Pheu Thai parties by boycotting elections twice, in 2006 and 2014, which contributed to the military coups that followed.

In a period of political weakness, with the Democrat Party’s numbers in the House falling to just 25 MPs, rumours circulated about its potential alignment with Pheu Thai. This led Chuan to criticise Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's government in April 2024. He recalled Thaksin's infamous remark nearly 20 years ago about prioritising development in areas that supported Thai Rak Thai over others.

“The prime minister may not know who made the statement. Let me clarify, it was Thaksin, who made this statement openly to the public, not secretly,” Chuan said.

In 2024, with Thaksin returning to his homeland, Pheu Thai, now led by Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn as prime minister, has managed to get the Democrat Party on board in the coalition government.

This development marks a historic end to the long-standing rivalry between the two parties.