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Thai politics have been intensely polarized since demonstrations
against the government of then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra
began in 2005. Conservatives aligned with the military and monarchy
are pitted against critics of the establishment supporting a more
open political order. In the election of 24 March 2019, this
pattern was broken by the emergence of Future Forward, an upstart
political party led by 40-year-old autoparts tycoon Thanathorn
Juangroongruangkit. Although only founded a year before, and with
minimal local roots, the party won 81 seats and became the third
largest party in parliament. Future Forward was a rare attempt to
break the flawed mold of Thai politics. Borrowing elements from
such 'antiparties' as Spain's Podemos and Italy's Five Star
Movement, the party used internet technologies to promote its
leaders, Thanathorn and his leadership team gaining a celebrity
status. It also appealed directly to voters with a national
platform, rather than relying on local efforts to mobilize voters.
Since the election, the party has been dissolved and its leaders
banned from politics. Thanathorn and his colleagues represented an
existential threat to the Thai establishment - at least in the
imaginations of the elite. Their ability to capture the zeitgeist
and tap into the aspirations of digital natives and millennials
feeling little loyalty to older notions of Thai identity posed an
immense challenge to the powers-that-be. Despite the demise of
Future Forward, a significant shift in Thai politics signaled by
the party's success seems to be in motion. This is the first book
to examine the most interesting new force to emerge in Thai
politics for two decades, one also exploring the wider dynamics of
political leadership, party formation and voter behavior in a
society where popular participation has been largely suppressed
since the 2014 military coup. Based on exclusive interviews with
party leaders and a wide range of Thai-language sources, it
examines how Future Forward succeeded in mobilizing so much
electoral support, whilst also arousing intense hostility from the
conservative forces demanding its dissolution. Organized into three
main themes - Leaders, Party, and Voters - this is a must-read
study of Thai politics.
Thai politics have been intensely polarized since demonstrations
against the government of then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra
began in 2005. Conservatives aligned with the military and monarchy
are pitted against critics of the establishment supporting a more
open political order. In the election of 24 March 2019, this
pattern was broken by the emergence of Future Forward, an upstart
political party led by 40-year-old autoparts tycoon Thanathorn
Juangroongruangkit. Although only founded a year before, and with
minimal local roots, the party won 81 seats and became the third
largest party in parliament. Future Forward was a rare attempt to
break the flawed mold of Thai politics. Borrowing elements from
such 'antiparties' as Spain's Podemos and Italy's Five Star
Movement, the party used internet technologies to promote its
leaders, Thanathorn and his leadership team gaining a celebrity
status. It also appealed directly to voters with a national
platform, rather than relying on local efforts to mobilize voters.
Since the election, the party has been dissolved and its leaders
banned from politics. Thanathorn and his colleagues represented an
existential threat to the Thai establishment - at least in the
imaginations of the elite. Their ability to capture the zeitgeist
and tap into the aspirations of digital natives and millennials
feeling little loyalty to older notions of Thai identity posed an
immense challenge to the powers-that-be. Despite the demise of
Future Forward, a significant shift in Thai politics signaled by
the party's success seems to be in motion. This is the first book
to examine the most interesting new force to emerge in Thai
politics for two decades, one also exploring the wider dynamics of
political leadership, party formation and voter behavior in a
society where popular participation has been largely suppressed
since the 2014 military coup. Based on exclusive interviews with
party leaders and a wide range of Thai-language sources, it
examines how Future Forward succeeded in mobilizing so much
electoral support, whilst also arousing intense hostility from the
conservative forces demanding its dissolution. Organized into three
main themes - Leaders, Party, and Voters - this is a must-read
study of Thai politics.
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