South Dovani

[Wu Han]

Opposition Parties announce joint electoral coalition ahead of 5646 presidential election
12 April 5645

Udon Nakhon – Major opposition parties in the National Assembly have announced the formation of a unified electoral alliance ahead of the 5646 presidential election, seeking to avoid the fragmentation that previously divided anti-government voters in the previous presidential election.

President Kob Suchinda's re-election in 5638 was attributed in part to the failure of the opposition to unite behind a single candidate. During that cycle, the "Power to the People" presidential coalition which backed law professor Siranya Dechakul unified the Justice Party (JP), Green Party (GP), Agrarian Solidarity Movement (ASM), and the then-legal New Elephant Worker's Party (NEWP). However, other opposition blocs including the "South Dovani for Everyone" coalition of the Civic Alliance (CA), United Communities Party (UCP), and Forest Protection Party (FPP) as well as the "Changing the Nation for the People" coalition of the Revolutionary Alliance (RA) and Progressive People's Union (PPU) each fielded their own candidates. While the opposition was able to push the election into a second round, they were unable to ultimately secure a victory.

Determined to not repeat the failure of the last election cycle, the major opposition parties have now agreed to unite under the new “Democratic Hansan” coalition, pledging to support a single presidential candidate. The coalition agreement announced by the parties states that the joint-candidate will be chosen through an internal primary open to members of all participating parties. Voting will use a ranked-ballot system to ensure that the nominee has majority support within the alliance. As a condition of their agreement, coalition parties also require the selected candidate to commit to dissolving the National Assembly and calling an early general election once in office, framing the demand as a constitutional obligation to restore democratic legitimacy.

President Kob Suchinda has thus far refused to dissolve the National Assembly, despite the death of Prime Minister Prasert Thanomchai and the earlier Supreme Court ruling which banned the New Elephant Worker's Party (NEWP) and Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (PIE), vacating one in six seats in the National Assembly occupied by members of those parties. Since the death of Prime Minister Prasert, the National Assembly has been deadlocked in the formation of a new government, leaving the premiership vacant. The demand for dissolution of the National Assembly has only intensified after President Kob vetoed a narrowly passed motion to dissolve the legislature on 27 March 5645. In a nationally televised address from the Presidential Palace, Kob argued that immediate elections would deepen instability amid economic contraction, nationwide protests tied to the NERI Files corruption scandal, and deteriorating security conditions in Suman Province following the Ban Tha Chan massacre.

Opposition critics and political commentators, however, accuse President Kob of refusing to call an early election at the behest of the conservative parties, given that consistent polling since the NERI Files scandal has suggested a massive lead for the progressive Justice Party (JP). In the most recent BusinessReport poll, the JP led by nearly 20 points over the governing United Conservative Front (UCF).

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Sue Pracha (สื่อประชา; People's Media) is South Dovani's leading progressive daily newspaper.