Democrat Party digs in: No exit from coalition after crisis talks
Speculation swirled over Democrat exit after leaked tape
After hours behind closed doors, Thailand’s oldest political party has decided to stick with the ruling coalition — for now.
The Democrat Party has confirmed it will remain part of the government coalition following a tense three-hour meeting yesterday, June 19, amid political turbulence triggered by a leaked audio clip involving Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen.
Party leader Chalermchai Sri-on, who also serves as Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, chaired the emergency executive committee meeting to address the growing pressure to walk away from the coalition. Speculation had been mounting in political circles over whether the party would jump ship following the controversial mention of Thailand’s 2nd Army Region commander in the leaked recording.
Before the meeting, Chalermchai dismissed reports that the party had been offered additional Cabinet positions in exchange for loyalty.
“No such discussions have taken place,” he said. “I’m not aware of what other parties are doing, but the Democrat Party will make its own decisions.”
He insisted that the party’s executive committee alone would determine its future direction and that they had not received any external influence or incentives.
“There are calls both for us to withdraw and to stay,” Chalermchai admitted, adding that both sides had their reasons and would be considered seriously.
Following the lengthy discussions, Democrat spokesperson Jenjira Rattanaphian announced that a consensus had been reached to continue supporting the government, reported The Nation.
“The meeting was to analyse the current political situation. No conversations about cabinet positions took place,” she said. “There were differing opinions, which is expected, but the party remains united.”
Jenjira added that while opinions varied, all committee members had the right to speak freely. The leadership, she stressed, had created space for those differing views to be heard in full.
“Our focus remains on the people,” she said. “Any decisions we make going forward will be based on their best interests.”
Despite political tensions and public scrutiny, the Democrat Party has chosen stability over uncertainty, at least for now. But as the coalition continues to face pressure, eyes will remain fixed on Thailand’s political chessboard to see if this unity can hold.
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