Democrat joins Pheu Thai-led government amid rifts
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Democrat joins Pheu Thai-led government amid rifts

Democrats voted unanimously to join coalition

Chalermchai Sri-on was elected the new Democrat Party leader on Dec 9, 2023. (Photo: Nutthawat Wichieanbut)
Chalermchai Sri-on was elected the new Democrat Party leader on Dec 9, 2023. (Photo: Nutthawat Wichieanbut)

The Democrat Party agreed on Thursday to join the coalition government led by Pheu Thai, a party it once considered an arch-rival.

Thirty-four Democrat board members and MPs voted unanimously in favour of joining the coalition. Democrat leader Chalermchai Sri-on abstained from voting as stated in the party regulations.

Pheu Thai invited the Democrats to join the new government after abandoning the Palang Pracharath Party due to internal disagreements.

The Democrat Party has not won a general election since Thaksin Shinawatra formed Thai Rak Thai in 1998. Former leaders, including ex-prime minister Chuan Leekpai, have staunchly opposed any alliance with Pheu Thai. Mr Chuan warned that such a move could further erode the popularity of Thailand's oldest political party, which was founded in 1946.

Dej-id Kaothong, the newly elected deputy leader of the Democrats, defended the decision on Wednesday. "All should understand that the situations in the past and present are different," he said after receiving a cabinet invitation from Pheu Thai.

However, many core Democrat members and supporters on Thursday expressed disappointment over the decision to join Pheu Thai's coalition. Even before the final vote, Sirichok Sopha, a former Democrat MP for Songkhla, announced his resignation from the party after over three decades of membership. He cited irreconcilable differences in political philosophy and party policies.

Even before the final decision was decided on by the Democrat board at a meeting called Thursday night, Sirichok Sopha, a former MP for Songkhla, for instance, announced his decision to quit the party, in which he had been with for more than three decades.

In response to concerns that more members might follow suit, Mr Sirichok, who had won a general election four times, expressed his belief that he was among the last to leave, following a previous mass exodus of long-time members.

Watanya: Don't let Democrat supporters down

Watanya: Don't let Democrat supporters down

"Let bygones be bygones? Or let your supporters down?" asked Watanya Bunnag, a well-known Democrat member, in a Facebook post on Thursday.

Ms Watanya criticised those MPs supporting the alliance with Pheu Thai and urged them to honour their responsibility to voters by maintaining checks and balances. She warned that joining Pheu Thai in government would completely erode the remaining trust among the party's supporters.

"Even though the Democrat Party has not won the election in over two decades and has been through a great deal of political turmoil until the party now has only 25 MPs, it has never before lost its integrity," she said.

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