Thai Social Democratic Party

Thai Social Democratic Party
พรรคสังคมประชาธิปไตยไทย
Leader Somsak Kosaisuuk
Secretary-General Sukom Srinuan
Spokesperson Chalong Raksasri
Founded 2 June 2009
Headquarters Bangkok, Thailand
Ideology Conservatism[1]
Social Conservatism
Sufficiency economy
Political position Right wing
Website
Official Facebook
Somsak Kosaisuuk, party leader

The Thai Social Democratic Party or TSDP (Thai: พรรคสังคมประชาธิปไตยไทย) of formerly name New Politics Party or NPP (Thai: พรรคการเมืองใหม่) is a political party in Thailand which was founded on 2 June 2009. It is the political party of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), with which it shares the same principles and ideas. It claims that other political parties in Thailand protect only their own vested interests, such as the bureaucrats and elites, and are unable to tackle the country's problems. The party is expected to solicit more than 5,000 members and set up branches in all regions of Thailand, within the one-year deadline. It also plans to an early completion of the registration process in order to contest the next general election.

History

In May 2009, The People's Alliance for Democracy made an announcement that they were creating a political party. The interim leader of the party was Somsak Kosaisuuk. On 7 October 2009, Sondhi Limthongkul was elected as the leader of the party.[2] The party's colors are yellow and green. Yellow refers to the constitutional monarchy of Thailand, and green represents "clean politics", in which corruption is safeguarded by an independent judiciary. In 2013 Somsak Kosaisuuk to changed the name of the party to Thai Social Democratic Party.[3]

Aims for political reform

PAD and NPP want to replace the National Assembly of Thailand with a body with only 30 percent directly elected members of parliament, the rest installed by employers and labour unions or similar interests, in order to achieve their ideal of "clean politics".[4] Their adherents typically distrust established politicians and representatives and want to replace them.[5] The party claims to defend the supposedly endangered monarchy.

2011 rupture

In 2011 a break occurred between Sondhi and the majority of PAD on one side and the NPP leadership around Somsak on the other. In late-March Sondhi demanded the party boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections according to PAD's extra-parliamentary opposition strategy and its abstention campaign. This was rejected by Somsak and NPP functionaries who were keen to field candidates and seek parliamentary representation. The hardline PAD position, however, is that all party politicians—even NPP —should retreat for a certain period while the king appoints a non-partisan, expert government. This idea was rejected by Somsak and his public servants union, SELRC, as undemocratic and "close to a coup d'etat".[6] This led consequently to the retirement of Somsak from the PAD leadership in late-April and Sondhi's departure from the NPP in return.

Leader

No. Name From To
1 Somsak Kosaisuk 2 June 2009 5 October 2009[7]
2 Sonthi Limthongkul 5 October 2009 14 May 2010[8]
3 Somsak Kosaisuk 3 July 2010

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2552/D/087/55.PDF
  2. ↑ The Nation, Sondhi elected as new leader Archived 4 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine., 7 October 2009
  3. ↑ The Nation, "สมศักดิ์" ลั่นตั้ง "ส.ป.ท." ปลดแอก "พธม." - ลาขาด "สนธิ-ยะใส" , 7 July 2013
  4. ↑ Richard Lloyd Parry. "People's Alliance for Democracy's narrow nationalism in Thailand", The Times online, September 5, 2008, retrieved 5 January 2011.
  5. ↑ Mithran Somasundrum. "Shuffling towards fascism", The Guardian 3 September 2008, retrieved on January 5, 2011
  6. ↑ Bangkok Post, "Somsak Vetoes PAD Demand", 29 April 2011
  7. ↑ ตั้งพรรคการเมืองใหม่ สมศักดิ์รั้งห้วหน้า
  8. ↑ พรรคการเมืองใหม่ ได้ก.ก.บริหารฯครบแล้ว “สนธิ” นั่งหัวหน้าพรรค
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