Pheu Thai leader Paetongtarn vows to reclaim Bangkok seats

Pheu Thai’s leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra has stepped into the ring with a new role, aiming to revive the party’s fortunes in Bangkok after last year’s crushing defeat by the Move Forward Party (MFP).

Paetongtarn signed an order on Thursday to establish a panel dedicated to crafting political strategies, overseeing MPs and Bangkok Metropolitan councillors, and providing them with crucial advice. Leading this 15-member panel, she is joined by four veteran party executives acting as advisers.

The battle lines were drawn on May 14 last year when the MFP almost entirely obliterated Pheu Thai and other parties in the race for Bangkok. The MFP clinched 32 out of 33 seats in the capital, leaving Pheu Thai with only one seat after a recount.

Adding fuel to the resurgence, Paetongtarn’s father, Thaksin Shinawatra, has been actively rallying support for Pheu Thai despite parole conditions barring him from political activities. The former prime minister declared his intention to reclaim all seats in Nonthaburi, a province adjacent to Bangkok, in the upcoming elections.

“We will sweep all the seats in Nonthaburi. Someone took them all but we will take all of them back.”

Last year, the MFP not only triumphed in Bangkok but also dominated Nonthaburi, securing all eight seats and leaving Pheu Thai scrambling. Nonthaburi, once a stronghold for Pheu Thai, is now a critical battleground for the party’s comeback, reported Bangkok Post.

In related news, an online poll revealed that more than 60% of respondents are against a contentious draft amnesty bill, proposed by Poonsuk Poonsukcharoen of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights and seconded by a staggering 36,723 people. The bill, currently under parliamentary consideration, sparked a fierce public debate.

In other news, former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra sparked fresh hope for Thailand’s democratic future, declaring that the country will soon see a return to full democracy under the Pheu Thai Party-led government with a new people’s charter.