Thai Rak Thai Party

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Thai Rak Thai Party
พรรคไทยรักไทย
Thais Love Thais Party
ColorsRed, Dark blue

The Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT;

military coup forced Thaksin to remain in exile, the party was dissolved on 30 May 2007 by the Constitutional Tribunal for violation of electoral laws, with 111 former party members banned from participating in politics for five years.[12]

Party platform and electoral outcomes

Thai Rak Thai was registered on 15 July 1998, by telecommunications entrepreneur

Thammarak Isaragura na Ayuthaya, and Prommin Lertsuridej
.

The Thai Rak Thai party had a

Asian financial crisis of 1997, with promises of a strong economic recovery.[citation needed] The party also reached out to rural villages, and struggling businesses. Thai Rak Thai's policies included a 30 baht per hospital visit scheme, an extended debt moratorium for farmers, one million baht microcredit development funds for all rural districts, and the One Tambon One Product
project.

Thai Rak Thai won the

legislative election of 2001 by a landslide over the ruling Democrat Party led by Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai. Forty percent of elected MPs were freshmen. Thai Rak Thai was able to negotiate a merger with the New Aspiration Party and a coalition with the Thai Nation Party, resulting in a majority of 325 of 500 seats for the coalition government of Thaksin Shinawatra.[13]

The Thai Rak Thai Party was the first political party in Thailand to have been represented by more than half of the members of the

House of Representatives. In the 2005 legislative election, the party's candidates were elected to occupy 376 seats of the 500 seats in the House of Representatives, defeating the largest opposition party, the Democrat Party
which won 96 seats. After the election, Thailand's first single party government was successfully formed.

In the invalid elections of

first-past-the-post
electoral system.

Factions

As an amalgam of several different parties, Thai Rak Thai politicians owed their allegiance to different factions. Precise figures on faction membership do not exist, but estimates of the numerical strength of the major factions are provided below. These numbers are based on the membership of the House of Representatives elected in the

2005 general election, which was dissolved
on 24 February 2006.

After the September 2006 coup

See also: 2006 Thai coup d'état

Whereabouts of party leaders after the coup

On the evening of 19 September 2006, the Thai military seized control of Bangkok to take over the government.

Sirindhorn
.

Several party executives remaining in Thailand were arrested and detained by the junta. Deputy Prime Minister in charge of national security

Newin Chidchop were ordered to report to the junta by 21 September. Both reported as ordered and were detained.[19][20][21]

Several party executives including

Suriya Jungrungreangkit and former Social Development and Human Security Minister Watana Muangsook were reported to be in Thailand and free.[22]

Reactions from party members

With Thaksin and key party executives either abroad or arrested, the reaction of TRT party members was muted and disorganized. In Thaksin's absence, Chaturon Chaisang became the acting party leader.[23]

Several former MPs believed the party would be dissolved by the junta, including former Khon Kaen MP Prajak Kaewklaharn. However, former Udon Thani MP Thirachai Saenkaew, called for the junta to allow Thaksin to contest the next election, claiming that TRT supporters wanted Thaksin to return to politics.[24]

Former Sakon Nakhon MP Chalermchai Ulankul said that although he and others might be unemployed for about a year, his faction was "firm" and preparing to run in the election next year. "As long as the Thai Rak Thai Party is not dissolved, we can't say we will move to be under any other party. However, I don't know who will continue the TRT."

Many party members were reported to have dropped their party membership in the aftermath of the coup. These included Somsak Thepsuthin and 100 members of the Wang Nam Yom faction. It was not clear whether

Suriya Jungrungreangkit, another influential member of the faction would also resign. Sonthaya Kunplome also was reported to have led 20 members of the Chonburi faction in resigning from the party. Fear that the party would be dissolved by the junta and its members banned from politics fueled the defections.[25][26]

On 2 October 2006, Thaksin Shinawatra and his former deputy, Somkid Jatusripitak, resigned from the Thai Rak Thai Party,[27][28] in all probability ending it as a political force.

Party dissolution

Main article: 2006 Thai political party dissolution charges

The party's future was in doubt following the

dissolved on 30 May 2007 by the order of the Constitutional Tribunal for violation of election laws.[12][29] A few high-ranking party members were found to be directly involved in bribing several small parties into competing in constituencies that were bases of the former opposition parties to ensure that minimum turnout rules were met in favor of the TRT party and its partners. Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and 110 members of the party were barred from participating in politics for a five-year period, with only eight of 119 charged acquitted. The remaining MPs and members of the party reorganized in the People's Power Party
.

General election results

Election Total seats won Total votes Share of votes Outcome of election Election leader
2001
248 / 500
 11,634,495 39.9% Increase248 seats; Governing coalition (TRT-NAP-CTP-NDP) Thaksin Shinawatra
2005
377 / 500
 18,993,073 60.5% Increase127 seats; Governing party
2006
460 / 500
 16,246,368 59.9% Increase85 seats; nullified

Further reading

References

  1. ^ Atchara Pantranuwong (2008). "มายาคติและอุดมการณ์ในโฆษณาหาเสียงเลือกตั้งของพรรคไทยรักไทยในการเลือกตั้งทั่วไปวันที่ 6 กุมภาพันธ์ พ.ศ. 2548 : การวิเคราะห์ด้วยวิธีสัญวิทยา" [Myths and ideology in Thai Rak Thai Party's February 6, 2005 general election advertisements: a semiotic analysis]. Thammasat University.
  2. ^ Markou, Grigoris; Lasote, Phanuwat (June 26, 2015). "Populism in Asia: The case of Thaksin in Thailand" – via ResearchGate.
  3. ^ Forum, East Asia (September 12, 2011). "Thailand's populism has come close to its limit". Thailand Business News.
  4. S2CID 9030903
    .
  5. ^ Monaghan, Dermot (November 12, 2019). "Democracy in Thailand under Thai Rak Thai government" – via ResearchGate. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ^ Phongpaichit, Pasuk; Baker, Chris (2009). Thaksin (Second ed.). Silkworm Books. pp. 115–123.
  7. S2CID 67761095
    .
  8. JSTOR 10.1525/as.2003.43.4.663
    .
  9. ^ Hassarungsee, Ranee; Tulaphan, Poonsap S.; Kardkarnklai, Yuwadee. "Unsound government policies, successful grassroots solutions". Social Watch. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  10. JSTOR 40860869
    .
  11. S2CID 157347536
    .
  12. ^ a b "The Constitutional Tribunal disbands Thai Rak Thai". The Nation (Thailand). May 30, 2007. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  13. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "There are some very upset members of the governing Thai Rak Thai party, and miffed politicians tend to cause problems". ARDA: Alliance for Reform and Democracy in Asia. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2006.
  15. ^ a b c "Replacing Thaksin". The Nation. April 8, 2006. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  16. ^ "Thai minister's resignation undermines embattled prime minister". Monsters and Critics. Deutsche Presse-Agentur. February 3, 2006. Archived from the original on May 7, 2007.
  17. ^ "เฉลิม อยู่บำรุง ประวัติ บุรุษผู้สร้างสีสันแก่การเมืองไทยกว่า 30 ปี". kapook.com. October 25, 2013.
  18. ^ "Somkid takes an early lead in race to become prime minister". The Nation. April 7, 2006. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  19. ^ "Urgent: Newin reports to ARC". The Nation. September 21, 2006. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  20. ^ "Urgent: Yongyuth reports to ARC". The Nation. September 21, 2006. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007.
  21. ^ "Four officials close to ousted Thai PM now detained". Channel News Asia. September 22, 2006. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007.
  22. ^ "Ex-ministers in custody". Bangkok Post. September 22, 2006. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016.
  23. ^ "People were disappointed in us". The Nation. October 19, 2006. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  24. ^ "Thaksin should be allowed to contest election: Thai Rak Thai member". The Nation. September 30, 2006. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  25. ^ "Sonthaya leads 20 members out of Thai Rak Thai". The Nation. October 2, 2006. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  26. ^ "Somsak leads 100 members to resign from Thai Rak Thai". The Nation. October 2, 2006. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  27. ^ "Thaksin resigns from Thai Rak Thai". The Nation. October 2, 2006. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  28. ^ "Somkid resigns from Thai Rak Thai Party". The Nation. October 2, 2006. Archived from the original on October 12, 2006.
  29. ^ "Thai court orders Thaksin's party disbanded". Reuters. May 30, 2007. Retrieved May 21, 2016.

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