After almost a decade of rule by the former army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha, many voters in the recent Thai election longed for change. More than 14 million turned to pro-reform politician Pita Limjaroenrat and his party Move Forward.
Pita, aged 42, is far younger than most politicians in Thailand, and he and his party were able to use social media to reach new voters.
Since its predecessor was founded in 2018, the party has had a strong support base among young people drawn to its promises to remove the military from politics and tackle sensitive issues such as lese-majesty, the strict law that forbids criticism of the monarchy.
When Pita became leader in 2020 – a change brought about when the party’s predecessor, Future Forward, was dissolved, a common occurrence in Thai politics – he was able to appeal to a broader cross-section of voters, said Napon Jatusripitak, a visiting fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
“It seems that he is popular among a wide section of the population: the young, the old, the elderly, even the conservatives,” Jatusripitak said.
Pita grew up in a wealthy family with political connections. His father, Pongsak Limjaroenrat, was an adviser to the ministry of agriculture, and his uncle Padung Limcharoenrat was a close aide of the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
He went to a private school in Bangkok and in New Zealand where, with little to watch on TV but Australian soaps, he would instead listen to the speeches of the then New Zealand prime minister, Jim Bolger, as he did his homework. It sparked the start of an interest in politics.
Pita studied at Thammasat University in Bangkok, as well as Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He went on to work in his family’s rice bran business, and later became the executive director of Grab Thailand, a ride-hailing and food delivery app.
Pita entered politics when he joined Future Forward, running as a candidate in the 2019 Thai general election. In opposition, he was seen as a rising star and won praise for his speeches on agriculture policies, said Napon.
His image of having a “technocratic vision” rather than being an “activist politician” appeared to have allowed Pita to win the support of more conservative voters, added Napon. “A lot of conservatives look for policy-oriented politicians who can communicate effectively.”
Pita, a fluent English speaker, also had a style and background that tended to appeal to urban, middle-class ties, added Napon.
Pita has faced questions while in the public eye. His ex-wife accused him of domestic violence in 2019. A family court dismissed the allegations, which he has previously denied.
He has a seven-year-old daughter from his previous marriage, who has appeared on stage with him during campaigning, and on his social media accounts, where he has posted videos of them trampolining and pictures of them enjoying ice-cream and dinners out.
Prior to the election, some young activists had voiced frustrations that his reforms were not bold enough – though this does not appear to ultimately have affected his popularity.
At rallies younger voters gave him a rock-star reception, queueing up for selfies. And in May, Move Forward surprised many by winning the most seats and the most votes. The party was able to sweep almost every district in Bangkok, as well as poach seats that were once heartlands of the heavyweight opposition party Pheu Thai.
Despite this, Pita has ultimately been unable to overcome the hurdles that were implanted in the Thai election system after the last coup. Military-appointed senators blocked his attempt to become prime minister, and his nomination to rerun on Wednesday was voided by a parliamentary vote.
Pita is also facing two legal cases and is now suspended from parliament pending an investigation into allegations he was ineligible to run in the election as he owned media shares. He has denied any wrongdoing.
If found guilty, he could face up to 10 years in jail, a 20-year ban from politics and a fine.
