A quick look at the Move Forward Party’s short history
In four years, party rose to prominence in Thai politics and lost it all
The main opposition Move Forward Party, which won the most MP seats in the 2023 general election, was ordered dissolved by the Constitutional Court on Wednesday for violating the Political Party Act.
The court also revoked the electoral rights of the party's 11 executive committee members who served from March 25, 2021 to January 31, 2024, and banned them from founding or participating in new political parties for the next 10 years.
Here’s a quick look at the party’s history, which had been existence for barely four years before meeting its end:
Move Forward was founded on May 1, 2014 as Ruam Pattana Chart Thai Party. It was renamed Phung Luang Party on January 19, 2019, and then changed to Move Forward Party on December 7 of the same year.
After the opposition Future Forward Party was dissolved in 2020 for violating election finance laws, several members of the party migrated to Move Forward, making Future Forward the de-facto predecessor.
In March 2020, the party elected Pita Limjaroenrat as its leader and Chaithawat Tulathon as secretary-general.
Move Forward won 151 MP seats in the May 2023 general election, 10 seats more than second-placed Pheu Thai Party.
On July 19, 2023, the party’s PM candidate Pita was suspended from serving as an MP by the Constitutional Court over his holding of shares – inherited from his father – in defunct broadcaster iTV, which was deemed to be in violation of election laws that bar MP candidates from holding a stake in media companies.
Pita resigned as party leader on September 15, 2023. The party on September 23 named Chaithawat as new leader and Apichat Sirisunthon as secretary-general. Parit Wacharasindhu was chosen to be the party’s spokesperson.
On August 7, 2024, Move Forward was ordered dissolved by the Constitutional Court in a case filed by the Election Commission over the party’s election campaign to amend Section 112 of the Penal Code, or lese majeste law.
Move Forward was found guilty of violating the Political Party Act through actions that could be seen as an attempt to overthrow the country’s constitutional monarchy system of government, as well as a hostile act against the monarchy.
