Thailand 2023 election

The return to prominence of the divisive Shinawatra clan has helped create a more conducive environment for progressive change – especially in the capital, Bangkok.

The opposition Move Forward Party seems almost certain to meet the same fate as its predecessor, Future Forward.

If the MFP is disbanded, the party's political energy is almost certain to re-emerge in an alternate, and likely more radical, form.

As controversy over his parole simmers, attention turns to what influence the controversial former leader will have over Thai politics.

Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of the Move Forward Party, can rejoin Parliament – but more legal challenges loom.

Amid claims of preferential treatment, the Department of Corrections says that its refusal to refer to Thaksin Shinawatra as an "inmate" is standard practice.

With a reformist opposition gathering strength, Thai officials may see the current government as the last chance to gorge themselves at the public's expense.

Pita Limjaroenrat has been suspended from his duties as a member of Parliament pending a court ruling on whether he violated election law.

Residents of Thailand's capital have historically come down on the side of conservatism and reaction. They now loom as a force for reform.

The vote came shortly after former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, the spiritual leader of Srettha's Pheu Thai Party, returned to Thailand after 15 years in self-exile.

The marriage of convenience between Pheu Thai and the United Thai Nation Party reflects the stunning political realignment that has occurred since May's general election.

Despite the PM vote setback, the success of the Move Forward Party during the election has created a new dynamic in Thai politics – one that is likely to persist.

The decision will make the party more reliant on the support of the military-backed parties whose dominance it has long opposed.

Despite the new recruits, the party faces some difficult choices in reaching the majority that it needs in the House of Representatives.

There are several reasons to think that the fugitive former PM might actually be becoming home.

The two houses of Parliament were due to convene on July 27, but will now await a Constitutional Court ruling questioning the blocked renomination of MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat.

Formerly a bastion of conservative Thai politics, the rudderless party has been excluded from talks aimed at forming the next government.

The 1,000-strong demonstration at the capital's busy Asok intersection could be a harbinger of further unrest to come.

By obstructing the Move Forward Party from forming the government, conservative forces are courting political crisis.

The inconclusive finish to Thursday’s voting sets the stage for another ballot, which is expected next week.

The announcement comes just a day before Parliament is set to convene and vote to select the country's next prime minister.

The former general steps down nine years after coming to power in the military coup of 2014.

The party's leader Pita Limjaroenrat is hoping to put pressure on military-appointed senators to uphold the people's will.

Nearly two months on from the general election in May, it is still unclear whether the victorious Move Forward Party will be able to form the country's next government.