Pheu Thai Party
The Pheu Thai Party ( Thai: พรรค เพื่อ ไทย [ p ʰ ák p ʰ ɯ ː t ʰ aj a ] about, Party for Thais, RTGS Phuea Phak Thai, abbreviated PTP) is a political party in Thailand. It was founded in 2008 as a successor party to the banned party of People's Power (PPP ), which in turn was the successor to the 2007 forced dissolved Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT ) of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. It is one of the two main parties in the country. Since 2011, it represents the government.
History
Precursor
The entrepreneur Thaksin Shinawatra, who had acquired a billion-dollar fortune in the IT, telecommunications and media industries, founded in 1998, the Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT ). She won the 2001 elections by a landslide and Thaksin became Prime Minister. After Thaksin and his TRT had been re-elected in 2005, there were mass protests in which his human rights violations, corruption and abuse of office were accused. From Thaksin scheduled elections in 2006 were boycotted by the opposition and declared by the Thai Constitutional Court invalidated. In September 2006 a military coup. A specially employed " Constitutional Tribunal " said the TRT for election fraud for dissolved and spoke against their leading members of a five-year ban from politics. Your politicians of the second row then switched to the Party of People's Power ( Phak Phalang Prachachon PPP). This won the elections in December 2007. Thereafter, however, it came to accusations of election law violations again and also the PPP was dissolved by the Constitutional Court. The functionaries of the party were again excluded for five years by the political activity. The Pheu Thai Party is thus the third incarnation of this party.
Founded in 2008, and opposition to 2011
The Pheu Thai Party was founded in December 2008 by 80 PPP parliamentarians, which had not been occupied by the banning of the party with a five-year operating ban. The party's name is taken from a previous campaign slogan of the dissolved predecessor party TRT: khit mai tham mai thai phuea thuk khon ' ( " New thinking, new act, for all Thais "). This is also the motto of the new party, but with an attached, ik khrang ' ( " now" ). After joining another former PPP members of the PTP was the strongest party in the 473 seats counted Parliament with 188 Members. Yongyuth Wichaidit became the first party leader.
It did not succeed the Pheu Thai Party to unite that entire, consisting of different political groups and wings bearing the former TRT. A wing under Newin Chidchob became self-employed as Bhumjaithai Party and helped the rival with the Thaksin camp Democratic Party into a majority. The Chart Pattana Party, which had risen in the TRT in 2005, founded back in as independent small party and switched sides. The Muslim Wahdah Group, which had previously been part of the TRT to Sonthi Boonyaratglins Matubhum Party joined. For this, the Pheu Thai Party won the support of over 100 high-ranking ex-military, including the generals Pallop Pinmanee [NB 1], Chongsak Phanitchakul and Jiradet Khotcharat. Several important leaders of the mass movement of the " red shirts " ( United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship ) were members of the Pheu Thai Party.
After the Democratic Party has the support of several smaller parties that had previously governed in coalition with the PPP win, the Pheu Thai Party was important parliamentary opposition force against the government of Abhisit Vejjajiva. Pheu Thai Party leader Chalerm Yubamrung became the official opposition leader.
2011 election campaign and government takeover
In the parliamentary elections in Thailand 2011, the PTP was considered a favorite. Yingluck Shinawatra, they nominated the sister of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, as a top candidate. The party went on with a strong populist embossed program. Among other things, she promised to expand the network of the Bangkok Skytrain from two to 10 lines that commuters should be available at a unit price of 20 baht [NB 2] Have. It advertised the program, to distribute a free tablet computer on every first grader ("One Child, One Tablet" ) and to increase the minimum wage. She announced tax rebates for the first home and the first car of a family, free internet in public places and a scholarship to study abroad for ever a young person from each of the 796 administrative districts ( Amphoe ). They also said the issuance of credit cards to farmers. The PTP made no secret of the fact that Thaksin was behind her. It advertised with the slogan " Thaksin thinks, Pheu Thai acts. " Thaksin said Yingluck his " clone ".
The PTP finally won in the election 48.4 % of list votes and 265 of the 500 seats and formed a coalition with four smaller parties under Yingluck government.
After its election victory, the Pheu Thai -led government decided a guaranteed minimum price for rice of 15,000 baht [NB 3] per tonne, they paid the farmers irrespective of the market price. Since the guaranteed price is far above the market value, the program led to a rapidly rising national debt and crowded store with unsellable on the world market rice. The tax exemption when buying a first car took until the end of 2012 true 1.25 million families. 2,000 vehicles were recovered by lenders but again, because the buyer could not pay their rates. Overall, sales of cars in Thailand increased by 161% in 2012. However, this has also led to a strong increase of vehicles on the previously crowded streets of Bangkok.
In September 2012, the party chairman and Interior Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit resigned from office because he was accused of in the context of a land sale scandal of abuse of office in 2001. His successor in both offices was Jarupong Ruangsuwan, who was previously general secretary of the party.
Known members
- Yingluck Shinawatra, Prime Minister since 2011
- Jarupong Ruangsuwan, since 2012 chairman of the party, Interior Minister, previously Secretary General
- Chalerm Yubamrung, Deputy Prime Minister since 2011
- Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, former Prime Minister (1996-1997)
- Jatuporn Prompan, co- leader of the " red shirt " movement
- Nattawut Saikua, co- leader of the " red shirt " movement, Deputy Minister of Commerce since 2012, previously Deputy Minister of Agriculture
- Plodprasop Suraswadi, deputy prime minister since 2012, previously Minister of Science
- Sukampol Suwannathat, since 2011 Minister of Defence
- Surapong Tovichakchaikul, since 2011 Minister of Foreign Affairs, since 2012 also Deputy Prime Minister
- Weng Tojirakarn, a leading member of the " Red Shirt " movement, Member of Parliament
- Worawi Makudi, since 1997 a member of the FIFA Executive Committee since 2007, President of the Thai Football Association