# Is Thailand’s political system designed to be deadlocked?

- Link: https://www.thailand-business-news.com/opinion/231984-is-thailands-political-system-designed-to-be-deadlocked
- Published: 2025-07-07T13:04:12+07:00
- Author: Carlos Fuitzer

Pita Limjaroenrat, the former leader of Thailand’s Move Forward party, discusses
Thailand’s ongoing political deadlock, attributing it to a system designed by the
military to control election outcomes.

He shares his personal experience of being suspended and banned from politics after
his party won the most votes in the 2023 election, leading to the current government’s
instability under Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Limjaroenrat advocates for “precision 
politics” and open dialogue to overcome this system, expressing disappointment in
his party’s inability to implement reforms and concern about potential voter fatigue
and military intervention.

ADVERTISEMENT

**Key Points**

 * Thailand is experiencing a political crisis where Prime Minister Paetongtarn 
   Shinawatra has been suspended by the Constitutional Court, facing calls for resignation.
 * Pita Limjaroenrat, who was suspended and banned from politics for 10 years after
   his party won the 2023 election, believes the political deadlock is “by design,”
   with the military ensuring mechanisms to overturn election results.
 * Limjaroenrat, now a senior fellow at Harvard, is writing a memoir inspired by
   former Prime Ministers Jacinda Ardern and Sanna Marin, hoping to return to Thai
   politics after his ban.
 * He regrets not being able to implement promised reforms and feels disappointed
   by the Pheu Thai party’s failure to secure a strong government.
 * Limjaroenrat suggests that parties should engage in more direct dialogue with
   potential opponents (military, monopolies, media) before elections to explain
   their objectives.
 * He highlights “precision politics,” a strategy focusing on candidate strength,
   competitor weakness, constituency demographics, and past vote trends, as key 
   to winning elections efficiently.
 * Concerns are raised about voter fatigue and potential manipulation by the ruling
   elite to prevent the majority’s choice from forming a government, emphasizing
   the importance of high voter turnout for success.
 * Limjaroenrat offers advice to his successor, encouraging patience and resilience
   in the face of political pressure.

Limjaroenrat, currently a senior fellow at Harvard University, expresses disappointment
that he was unable to implement the reforms he promised to his voters and feels 
that the Pheu Thai party did not succeed in forming a strong government. He suggests
that political parties should engage in more direct dialogue with potential opposing
entities, such as the military, monopolies, and the media, before elections to clarify
their objectives.

### Related**Posts**

###  󠀁[The Changing Map of Growth: Why East Asia and the RCEP Are More Important Than Ever](https://www.thailand-business-news.com/opinion/328474-the-changing-map-of-growth-why-east-asia-and-the-rcep-are-more-important-than-ever)󠁿

###  󠀁[Bangkok Needs to Stop Treating Every Flood as an Exceptional Event](https://www.thailand-business-news.com/opinion/332200-bangkok-needs-to-stop-treating-every-flood-as-an-exceptional-event)󠁿

###  󠀁[Beyond Recovery: Hong Kong’s Next Economic Challenge](https://www.thailand-business-news.com/hong-kong/330278-beyond-recovery-hong-kongs-next-economic-challenge)󠁿

###  󠀁[Local Influences and Return Chasing: Entering a New Era in Emerging Equity Markets](https://www.thailand-business-news.com/markets/329573-local-influences-and-return-chasing-entering-a-new-era-in-emerging-equity-markets)󠁿

He also emphasizes a strategy he teaches at Harvard called “precision politics,”
which involves analyzing candidate strength, competitor weakness, constituency demographics,
and past voting trends to win elections efficiently. Limjaroenrat is concerned about
voter fatigue and the possibility of the ruling elite manipulating the system to
prevent the majority’s choice from forming a government, stressing the importance
of high voter turnout for his party’s success. He advises his successor to be patient
and resilient, comparing the process to a diamond forming under pressure.

Source : [‘Thai politics is deadlocked by design’: Pita Limjaroenrat on Thailand’s leadership crisis – Monocle](https://monocle.com/affairs/thailand-politics-prime-minister-resignation-protests/)