Reclassification of cannabis, no lese majeste reform in Move Foward coalition’s MOU

Yesterday, Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of the Move Forward Party, along with leaders from seven other political parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at Bangkok’s Conrad Hotel to form a coalition government.

The signing, which took place on the 9th anniversary of the 2014 military coup, was framed as a significant milestone reflecting the success of Thai society in transitioning back to a democratic system through peaceful parliamentary processes.

Move Forward, the unofficial winner of the May 14 election, brought together the coalition in order to reach the minimum threshold of 376 votes required to form a government and elect a prime minister. Although the MOU gets them closer to meeting that threshold, it is clear that some compromises to their agenda have been made in order to secure the coalition and lobby for the additional votes still needed…