Thailand’s opposition leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut says his rebranded People’s Party is prepared to contest a third national election and to form a government tasked with reducing military influence and political inequality.
The 38-year-old former software engineer took the helm of the movement that began as Future Forward and later became Move Forward after courts dissolved both parties and banned key leaders for a decade. Natthaphong told TIME the People’s Party’s core goal is “to reform politics, the economy, and reduce social inequality,” and that “we have to bring full democracy to our country.”
The reform movement has repeatedly outperformed expectations at the ballot box but has been blocked from power by Thailand’s courts and its military-aligned institutions. Future Forward won 17.34% of the vote in 2019 before being dissolved over a loan deemed illegal; its founder Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit was banned from politics for 10 years. Move Forward won a plurality and 38% of the popular vote and 151 seats in 2023 but was prevented from forming a government by a military-appointed Senate and was later dissolved after a court found a pledge to reform the royal defamation law, Article 112, unconstitutional. Its leader Pita Limjaroenrat was also barred from politics for a decade.
Natthaphong insists the People’s Party will build on Move Forward’s gains by focusing on decentralization, deregulation and reforms aimed at reducing what he calls state capture and the political influence of the military and the palace. “Thailand has many serious problems: the military involved in politics, state capture, the centralization of our bureaucracy,” he said. “So to fight on these core issues is to fight the few people who benefit from the current system.”
Observers say the movement’s challenge is not only institutional barriers but also how to translate grassroots popularity into stable parliamentary power in a system shaped by courts, appointed senators and longstanding patronage networks. Move Forward’s 2023 campaign used social media and technology-driven organization to broaden its appeal beyond traditional regional strongholds associated with Thailand’s populist parties.
The People’s Party faces internal and external tests ahead of the next vote. Internally, some younger supporters criticized Natthaphong’s decision to back Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the royalist Bhumjaithai Party, to become prime minister after the August removal of Paetongtarn Shinawatra by the Constitutional Court. Natthaphong said he agreed to support Anutin to secure a pledge for a new election within four months and a referendum on a new constitution, a move he framed as prioritizing a democratic reset over short-term popularity. Critics called the decision a betrayal of the movement’s anti-establishment stance.
Analysts are divided on whether Natthaphong’s personnel style will help or hinder the movement. Natthaphong is often described as technocratic and measured, a contrast with the charismatic public profiles of Thanathorn and Pita that energized many young voters. "The real basis of popularity for Move Forward was the so-called ‘fandoms’ built around the party leader," said one regional analyst, who noted those leaders’ celebrity drew large numbers of younger voters. Other experts say Natthaphong’s lower-key approach may reduce the risk of becoming a polarizing figure targeted by the establishment.
The wider political landscape has also shifted since the reform movement’s breakthrough. Long-dominant populist parties aligned with former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who returned to Thailand after years in self-imposed exile, were pushed into second place in 2023. Thaksin had briefly collaborated with Move Forward in a government formation attempt before forming a coalition with establishment parties, a move that drew criticism from voters who had supported the reform movement.
On Sept. 9, 2025, Thailand’s Supreme Court jailed Thaksin for one year after ruling he had improperly avoided prison by seeking hospital treatment following his return. The decision and Thaksin’s shifting political alliances continue to complicate the landscape for the People’s Party and its rivals.
Another complicating factor has been cross-border diplomatic strains after a deadly border dispute with Cambodia that contributed to Paetongtarn’s removal. Informal ties between senior Thai figures and Cambodian leaders, including comments and leaked communications, drew scrutiny and underscored Natthaphong’s argument for returning foreign relations to formal state channels.
Party organization and discipline are also on display. After Move Forward’s dissolution, almost all remaining lawmakers aligned under the People’s Party banner; a handful were banned or resigned. Natthaphong says the movement’s cohesion reflects a shift toward idea-driven politics rather than traditional backroom deals. Observers note, however, that Thailand’s entrenched patronage system and the capacity of incumbents to use office to influence future results remain potent obstacles. Bhumjaithai’s control of government can allow it to leverage state resources and incentives in the run-up to any election.
Natthaphong has said that the People’s Party will avoid publicly campaigning to amend Article 112 in direct contravention of the Constitutional Court’s ruling while still aiming to address what it sees as problems with the law through constitutional means if it wins power. He has framed his approach to the monarchy as one that seeks to ensure the institution remains above politics while updating legal frameworks to make it compatible with modern democratic governance.
The coming months will test whether the People’s Party can convert its popular support into a parliamentary majority under conditions that have previously thwarted reformist movements. Natthaphong acknowledged the risks faced by his predecessors but said he remains committed to pursuing political reforms that, he said, will make independent bodies accountable to the people rather than to a narrow elite. "I cannot tell" whether he can avoid the fate of earlier leaders, he said. "But I will do my best. We need political reform that makes independent bodies accountable to the people—not for the few."