Phalang Pracharat Party

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The Phalang Pracharat Party ( PPRP for short ; Thai พรรค พลัง ประชา รัฐ , RTGS Phak Phalang Pracharat , also written Palang Pracharath or Palang Pracharat ; literally translated “Party of the Power of the People's State”) is a political party in Thailand. It was founded in March 2018 and supports the Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha and his military junta, which calls itself the “National Council for the Maintenance of Peace”. It is therefore often referred to as the "pro-junta party" or "pro-prayut party".

founding

Somkid Jatusripitak - one of the "Three Friends"
General Prayut Chan-o-cha - PPRP candidate for Prime Minister

The party was founded when the military junta, in office since 2014, eased the ban on political parties and scheduled elections for early 2019. It was mainly members and supporters of the “National Council for the Preservation of Peace” and ministers of the Prayut government, but not the head of government himself. The party chairman has been the then Industry Minister Uttama Savanayana since September 2018 , and the party’s general secretary Sontirat Sontijirawong . After long pressure from the opposition, which criticized the amalgamation of party and cabinet functions, they resigned from their government offices in January 2019.

However, three former members of the government of the disempowered Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra (ruled 2001-06), who is regarded as an important opponent of Prayut, also play a leading role in the party : Somkid Jatusripitak (formerly Deputy Prime Minister under Thaksin, now in the same position under Prayut), Suriya Juangroongruangkit (former Minister of Industry and Transport) and Somsak Thepsuthin (former Minister of Agriculture and Labor). These three are known to the Thai public as Sam Mit ("Three Friends") and have in a sense switched sides. They tried, in some cases with success, to convince former MPs and supporters of the Pheu-Thai party , which is the main opposition party against the military-backed government of Prayut, to defer too. By November 2018, over 150 former MPs, senators, ministers and other prominent politicians converted to the Phalang Pracharat Party, including 44 former MPs from the Pheu Thai Party (or its predecessors, Thai Rak Thai and People's Power Party ) and 14 from the Democratic Party .

General election 2019

In the parliamentary election in March 2019 , Prayut was the Phalang Pracharat Party's candidate for prime ministerial office and also appeared at election campaign events, although he is not officially a member of the party. In November 2018, four months before the election, Prayut's government decided on a spending program worth 87 billion baht (around 2.4 billion euros at the rate at the time), from which low-wage earners and pensioners in particular should benefit. This also included a New Year's gift of 500 baht (approx. 14 euros) in cash for almost 15 million citizens. The opposition criticized this as undisguised, populist gifts with which the regime wanted to buy voters' favor for its Phalang Pracharat party at the expense of taxpayers.

According to preliminary results, the Phalang Pracharat party became the strongest force with 23% of the vote, but it only got 118 of the 500 seats - while the Pheu Thai party with 137 seats became the strongest force in the House of Representatives, as it had more direct seats in the constituencies has achieved. Both Phalang Pracharat and Pheu Thai parties are therefore claiming election victory for themselves and have announced that they will each form a governing coalition.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ z. B. Vanessa Steinmetz: Parliamentary Election in Thailand - Elect the junta, yo! In: Spiegel Online , March 23, 2019; Hannah Ellis-Petersen: Pro-military party may win Thailand election in blow to hopes of new era. In: The Guardian (online), March 24, 2019; Kay Johnson: Thailand's Thaksin-linked party leads pro-junta party, but many seats undecided. Reuters, March 25, 2019.
  2. ↑ z. B. Prayut has backing of many political parties to return as PM, says Sontirat. In: The Nation (online), July 27, 2018; Termsak Chalermpalanupap: General Prayut's dream of remaining PM dampens Thailand's hopes of starting afresh. In: Channel News Asia , November 22, 2018; Suchart Tancharoen's faction joins Palang Pracharath. In: Bangkok Post (online), November 23, 2018.
  3. ^ Palang Pracharath ministers resign from cabinet. In: Bangkok Post (online), January 29, 2019.
  4. ↑ Pravit Rojanaphruk: 150+ Politicos Defect to New Pro-Junta Party. In: Khao Sod English , November 27, 2018.
  5. ↑ Phonlawut Songsakun: พลัง ดูด 'พลัง ประชา รัฐ' อดีต ส.ส. - คน ดัง แห่ ร่วม นับ ร้อย In: The Standard (online), November 27, 2018.
  6. ↑ Mongkol Bangprapa, Aekarach Sattaburuth: EC to investigate cash handout spree. Pheu Thai takes aim at regime over freebies. In: Bangkok Post (online), November 23, 2018.
  7. ↑ Preliminary election result according to the election commission of Thailand, accessed on March 26, 2019.
  8. ↑ Dumrongkiat Mala: Pro-regime party says it's on verge of forming coalition. In: Bangkok Post (online), March 26, 2019.