Details

Overview

The 14th May poll from Thailand showed an unexpected victory by the Move Forward Party (MFP), the de facto predecessor of the Future Forward Party (FFP) which came in third in the 2019 General Election. The MFP’s victory in 2023 sparked interesting debates over the course of Thai politics.

The MFP has become the new political force in Thailand since late 2018 because of its progressive policies and firm stance on various critical issues in the Kingdom. MFP is beyond any simple political party. They have positioned themselves as distinctive from the foundation that has long dominated Thai politics over the past two decades, the Red Shirt representing the Shinawatra’s force and the Yellow Shirt representing the pro-conservative force that favors the monarchy and military’s influence. MFP is now considered a symbol of modern and progressive political force. Gaining 152 seats from the recent election, MFP now has the strong mandate and legitimacy to demand the driving seat of the Kingdom’s future in the next four years.

A week following the unofficial poll’s result, MFP has taken on the initiative to form a coalition government. On the 22nd of May, MFP together with Pheu Thai Party (PTP), and the other 6 political parties signed an MoU detailing their commitment and policies in an MFP-led coalition government. Among the twenty-three policies outlined in the MoU, seen the 23rd policy stated “Implement foreign policy initiatives to restore Thailand’s leadership role in ASEAN and maintain balanced international relations between Thailand and major powers”. This policy resonated with regional observers’ views regarding Thailand’s diminishing role in regional politics over the course of 9-years under Prime Minister Prayuth Chan O-cha’s rule.

Against this backdrop, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Cambodia and the Center for Southeast Asian Studies are co-organizing a joint politics talk to explore the possible implications of Thailand’s comeback to the regional politics and the foreign policy of the MFP-led coalition government, if they are to be elected by the parliament.

Speakers

• Mr. Long Sovitou, Lecturer at IISPP and Fellow at CSEAS
• Mr. Soth Chhayheng, Programme Manager for Foreign Affairs, KAS Cambodia

Moderator: 

• Ms. Melanie Gerster, Head of Programme, KAS Cambodia

Key Discussion Points

• Thai Foreign Policy: from Thaksin to Prayuth
• Thailand’s 2023 General Election
• Possible scenarios of the new government
• Possible MFP-led coalition government and their foreign policy

Registration

To register, please email to: chhayheng.soth@kas.de! Walk in is also accepted, but no guarantee of available seats!