In A Blow To Thailand’s Progressive Movement, People Voted To Elect A Conservative, Pro-Monarchy Party
Led by 45-year-old Pita Limjaroenrat, Move Forward had run on a campaign of promoting democracy, removing the military’s influence on politics and revising the lèse-majesté law.
In a shocking blow to Thailand’s progressive movement, the conservative Bhumjaithai Party won the country’s general election.
It marked a remarkable shift from the election in May 2023, when voters rejected the military government, which had ruled since seizing power in a coup in 2014, and gave the most votes to the young, progressive, opposition Move Forward party.
Led by 45-year-old Pita Limjaroenrat, Move Forward had run on a campaign of promoting democracy, removing the military’s influence on politics and revising the lèse-majesté law, which jails people for criticizing the monarchy.
However, Pita was immediately blocked from becoming prime minister by the senate, whose members are mostly appointed by the military.
Pheu Thai, the country’s then largest opposition party founded by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, then split off from Move Forward and formed a government with conservative and pro-military parties.
Pheu Thai’s Srettha Thavisin, a real estate developer seen as acceptable by the military, then became prime minister, followed by Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra in August 2024.
Thailand’s constitutional court later disbanded Move Forward, finding that its attempt to revise the lèse-majesté law amounted to attempting to overthrow the monarchy.
It also banned 11 of Move Forward’s members, including Pita, from politics for 10 years.
Meanwhile, the remaining members of Move Forward who were not banned all joined another progressive party, which was renamed the People’s Party and became Move Forward’s successor.
The People’s Party, which is made up of primarily young politicians, became the largest party and the main opposition party in Thailand.
However, in August 2025 Paetongtarn, like her father Thaksin and aunt Yingluck, was also removed as prime minister over a leaked phone call she had with former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen over a border dispute.
This left Pheu Thai and Bhumjaithai fighting to form a new government, with the People’s Party playing a decisive role as the biggest party in the house of representatives.
Eventually, the People’s Party reached a deal with Bhumjaithai to support Bhumjaithai’s Anutin Charnvirakul as prime minister if he commits to a referendum on amending the constitution and dissolves parliament within four months.
On Dec. 12, Anutin dissolved the parliament and scheduled a snap election on the latest possible date of Feb. 8.
With over 90% of the votes counted on Monday, Feb. 8, the Bhumjaithai party won 194 seats from the 500 seats parliament, with the People's Party in second place with 116 seats and Pheu Thai came in third, with 76 seats.
Bhumjaithai’s win is the first victory for a conservative, establishment‑aligned party in Thailand in this century, potentially rolling back some of the momentum that the progressive movement built after the 2023 election.
Analysts say Bhumjaithai may have benefitted from nationalist sentiments after Thailand's recent clashes with Cambodia over their border, while the People’s Party and Pheu Thai ultimately fragmented the liberal and centrist votes.
Anutin still needs to form a coalition to achieve the 251-seat majority to choose a prime minister, but is likely to have full control now over both chambers of Parliament, with the parliament stacked with Bhumjaithai allies.
Kassy Cho
Kassy Cho
