<p>The parliament will reopen debate on constitutional amendments on 22-24 June, a major event that will affect the Kingdom&rsquo;s political structure. After the issue was delayed in 2020 and withdrawn in 2021, political parties and civil society have another chance to address what they see as hindrances to democratization and political advantage.</p>

<p>The Constitutional Court has accepted a petition by the Future Forward Party against 32 MPs out of 41 for holding shares in media companies, but they are not suspended as MPs.</p>

<p>Both the Democrat Party and the Bhumjaithai Party have now taken a step back from joining a government led by Phalang Pracharat.&nbsp;</p>

<p>An anti-junta faction inside the Democrat Party has emerged calling for the Democrat Party not to support Prayut Chan-o-cha to be the next Prime Minister of Thailand.</p>

<p>Chuan Leekpai, a senior member from the Democrat Party and former Prime Minister of Thailand, was elected by the House of Representatives as its Speaker on Saturday (May 25).&nbsp;Election of Chuan Leekpai as House Speaker shows rifts in both power blocs.</p>

<div>While the confronting political ideologies in western countries are the left and the right, their counterparts in Thai politics are moral politics and the politics of economic inequality. These ideologies will be represented through political parties in the upcoming election.</div> <div> </div> <div>In the 2018 elections, policies will not and cannot be a decisive factor since politicians have to conform to the NCPO’s National Strategic Plan which provides a policy framework that future governments have to follow for the next 20 years. </div>

<div> <div>Two major political parties have challenged the junta’s new regulation which handicaps old parties amid criticism that the military is manipulating the election laws for the benefit of new parties in the next general election scheduled in November 2018.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On 27 December 2017, Ruangkrai Leekitwattana, a member of the Pheu Thai Party legal team, <a href="https://prachatai.com/journal/2017/12/74741">submitted a petition</a> to the Constitution Court asking it to rule whether the junta’s endorsement of Head of the National Council for Peace and Order </div></div>