Pheu Thai Party

Pheu Thai Party
พรรคเพื่อไทย
Chairman Charupong Ruangsuwan
General Secretary Phumtham Wechayachai
Spokesperson Prompong Nopparith
Founded 20 September 2008 (2008-09-20)
Preceded by People's Power Party
Headquarters 1770 OAI Bld. New Petchburi Rd. Bangkapi, Huaykwang, Bangkok, Thailand
Youth wing Thailand Institute of Youth
Membership  (2013) 124,780
Ideology Populism
Pro-Thaksin Shinawatra
International affiliation None
Colours              Red, white, dark blue
Slogan ขอคิดใหม่ ทำใหม่ เพื่อไทยทุกคน... อีกครั้ง
"Let us rethink and redo for all Thais... again"[1]
Website
www.ptp.or.th

The Pheu Thai Party[2] (PTP) (Thai: พรรคเพื่อไทย; rtgs: Phak Phuea Thai; pronounced [pʰák pʰɯ̂a tʰāj]; For Thais Party) is the third incarnation of a Thai political party founded by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The Pheu Thai Party was founded on 20 September 2008, as an anticipated replacement for the People's Power Party (PPP), which Constitutional Court of Thailand dissolved less than three months later after finding party members guilty of electoral fraud. The People's Power Party was a replacement for Thaksin's original Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party which the Constitutional Court dissolved in May 2007 for violation of electoral laws.[3][4]

Formation and opposition years (2008-2011)

The PPP was dissolved by the Constitutional Court of Thailand on 2 December 2008. On 3 December 2008, the majority of the former PPP MPs defected to the Pheu Thai Party. In a PTP general assembly, the first executive commission was elected on 7 December 2008.[5] Candidates for the party's leader were: Yongyuth Wichaidit, Apiwan Wiriyachai, former Vice President of the House of Representatives, former health minister Chalerm Yubamrung and former industry minister Mingkwan Saengsuwan.[5] Yongyuth Wichaidit was elected as the party's leader.[5][6]

In a December 2008 parliamentary session, MPs of five PPP coalition parties decided to endorse Abhisit Vejjajiva as the next prime minister and themselves forming a Democrat-led coalition. The PTP campaigned for their endorsement by the PPP-coalition parties. However, Abhisit had gained their support for the premiership.[7][8] After that, the party called for a national unity government in which all parties would be involved, with Sanoh Thienthong of the Royalist People's Party as the new premier. This proposal was rejected by the defecting coalition parties and the Democrat Party.[9] On 11 December, Worrawat Eua-apinyakul, then MP for Phrae from PTP, suggested that the party should push for a house dissolution and general elections, with the hope of depriving the prospective coalition of a parliamentary majority. However, The President of the House of Representatives; Chai Chidchob spoke against the plan.[10]

On 15 December 2008, the party elected Pracha Promnok as the party's candidate for prime minister and has since been in opposition to prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's coalition government. As an opposition, the party received a rating of 3.75 out of 10 by a majority of respondents in a nationwide survey conducted on 24 and 25 December 2010, by Bangkok University.[11]

In early May 2011, Charupong Ruangsuwan was named new Secretary general of the party.[12] Following the discovery of illegal timber by Thai authorities, during an August 2014 search at Charupong's son's Mae Hong Son Province resort for buried war weapons and other illegal items, the media reported that both Charupong and his son were no longer present in Thailand.[13]

Pheu Thai in government

In the 2011 general election, the Pheu Thai Party contested for the first time since its foundation. On 16 May, Thaksin's youngest sister Yingluck Shinawatra was nominated head of PTP's party-list proportional representation and contender of prime minister Abhisit. One of her main issues in the campaign was national reconciliation.[14] The election was expected to be a neck-and-neck contest between Pheu Thai and the ruling Democrats. Unexpectedly, the party won 265 of 500 seats in the House of Representatives on 3 July. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva acknowledged Pheu Thai's success in the election, and congratulated Yingluck Shinawatra as Thailand's first female prime minister.[15] Despite its absolute majority, the winning party announced that it would form a coalition government with five minor parties. On 5 August, Yingluck was elected prime minister with 296 votes in favour. The election was approved and Yingluck was formally appointed by the king on 8 August.[16]

Pheu Thai Party Prime Ministers

Name Portrait Periods in Office Election
Yingluck Shinawatra 5 August 2011 – 7 May 2014 2011

Election results

Election Total seats won Total votes Share of votes Outcome of election Election leader
2011
265 / 500
 15,744,190 48.41% Increase76 seats; Governing coalition (PTP-CP-CPPPP-PCP-MP-NDP) Yingluck Shinawatra
2014 Invalidated Invalidated Invalidated Unconstitutional - nullified Yingluck Shinawatra

References

  1. ↑ "Pheu Thai Party Website Logo and Motto page in Thai". Retrieved 22 December 2011.
  2. ↑ "ประกาศนายทะเบียนพรรคการเมือง เรื่อง รับจดแจ้งการจัดตั้งพรรคเพื่อไทย" [Political parties registrar announcement Re: Pheu Thai Party establishment register accepted] (pdf). Royal Thai Government Gazette (in Thai). 124 (special part 174 D): 23. 9 November 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  3. ↑ "Historical rulings unfold". The Nation (Thailand). Bangkok. 30 May 2007.
  4. ↑ "The Constitutional Tribunal disbands Thai Rak Thai". The Nation (Thailand). Bangkok. 30 May 2007.
  5. 1 2 3 "Puea Thai Party to elect leader on Sunday". The Nation (Thailand). Bangkok. 3 December 2008.
  6. ↑ "Yongyuth becomes new Pheu Thai leader". The Nation (Thailand). Bangkok. 8 December 2008.
  7. ↑ "Pheu Thai in desperate bid for power". The Nation (Thailand). 8 December 2008.
  8. ↑ "Thai opposition 'set for power'". BBC News. 10 December 2008.
  9. ↑ Jaikawang, Naya (10 December 2008). "Pheu Thai now calling for a national govt". The Nation (Thailand). Bangkok.
  10. ↑ "We may dissolve the House : Pheu Thai". The Nation (Thailand). Bangkok. 11 December 2008.
  11. ↑ "Poll gives government low marks". Bangkok Post. 26 December 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
  12. ↑ "Jarupong named Pheu Thai sec gen". The Nation. 3 May 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
  13. ↑ "Huge haul of illegal timber found in the resort of Charupong Ruangsuwan's son". Thai PBS. 10 August 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  14. ↑ Hengkietisak, Kamol (28 May 2011). "Yingluck unveils Pheu Thai's model of reconciliation". Bangkok Post.
  15. ↑ "Thai prime minister concedes, congratulates first female premier". CNN. 3 July 2011. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  16. ↑ Proclamation on Appointment of Prime Minister (Yingluck Shinawatra) dated 5 August 2011
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