According to the news of the Bangkok Post, on the morning of October 22, local time, the former Prime Minister of Thailand Peton Tan held a meeting for the Thai Party headquarters, announcing his resignation as the head of the Thai Party.
The news was like a heavyweight bomb, which sparked widespread political debate in Thailand.
As an important member of Thaksin's family, Petongtan has always been the core figure of Thai Party and even Thai politics as a whole.
Her sudden resignation not only surprised the outside world, but also made people wonder what political considerations were hidden behind this?
Petontan's resignation was not without warning. Earlier, she had publicly put forward a plan to thoroughly reform the Thai Party, including handing over the decision-making power within the party to the executive committee, and made it clear that members of Thaksin's family would not be the prime minister candidate of the Thai Party.
These reforms showed her desire to raise the competitiveness of the Thai Party by adjusting to the Thai Party’s structure and decision-making processes, but only half a month later she announced her resignation on the grounds that she had “created room for Party reform.”
In fact, Peterson’s resignation was closely linked to her previous “Recording Doors Incident.”
On August 29th this year, the Constitutional Court of Thailand ruled that Petongtan violated the Constitution because of the recording door incident and dismissed him as prime minister. Although this ruling is only aimed at her personally, it also lays a hidden danger for the future election layout of the Thai Party.
Under Thai electoral law, the party leader must personally sign the candidate’s nomination documents.
If Petonthan continues as party leader, legal proceedings may affect the candidate’s qualification. Her resignation is obviously to circumvent these potential risks and ensure that the Thai Party can run smoothly in the upcoming elections.
Peitontan mentioned in his resignation statement that "Thailand is in an important period of change."
She believes that deep reforms are needed for the Thai party to win next year’s general election, and her resignation is precisely removing the obstacles to this goal.
Soraon, the secretary-general of the Thai Party, said Petonthan's decision was to sacrifice himself to protect the party's candidates, aimed at protecting the party's interests and avoiding personal issues from becoming a weapon of political enemy attacks.
However, Peterson’s resignation also raised some doubts. Some analysts believe that this may have been her strategy to re-shape her personal political image.
Although she resigned as the leader of the Pheu Thai Party, she remained a member of the Pheu Thai Party and played an important role in the party's reform. Is her resignation really for the benefit of the Thai Party or for a comeback in the future? This issue has caused quite a bit of controversy in Thai politics.
At the same time, Petongtan's resignation has also had a profound impact on the overall pattern of Thai politics.
As the main competitor of the Thai Party, the strategy of the Thai Pride Party and its leader, the current Prime Minister Anutin, in the general election may be disturbed.
Petonthan’s resignation and reforms for the Thai party may help the party clear its potential weaknesses and boost its electoral competitiveness, which is undoubtedly a major challenge to Anutin’s re-election plan.
The resignation of Petonthan was not only a hot spot in Thai domestic politics, but also attracted the attention of the international community. Thailand, as an important country in Southeast Asia, has a significant political stability for the entire region.
Can Peitontan's decision really promote the Pheu Thai Party to achieve reforms? Or will it cause new differences within the Phetai Party? Will her resignation have an impact on support among Thai voters? The answers to these questions deserve our continued attention.