On 16 May 2023, CARE (Creative Action for Revival & People Empowerment) live-streamed a Care Talk programme with Thaksin Shinawatra, the exiled former Thai PM, about the post-election situation. Thaksin said there were mistakes in Pheu Thai’s communications through social media, and that Move Forward outperformed them. 

Thaksin mentioned that Pheu Thai has good policies, but the party could not present the policies well when compared to Move Forward which utilizes User Generated Content. He emphasized that Pheu Thai needs to adjust.

Thaksin thought that the party was attacked several times by information operations regarding a secret deal with Prayut Chan-o-cha and Prawit Wongsuwan, and confirmed that there was no such deal.

When assessing the scenario for PM selection, he stated that some senators are independent, while some have affiliations. However, the military leaders prefer to remain neutral and not vote. But if the Move Forward Party, which has taken the lead in forming the government, falls short of the necessary votes in the parliament, Thaksin suggested they either seek support from senators who have not heavily criticised them or they can reach out to other parties to secure 376 votes. However, having a government with such a large number of seats also has disadvantages. The opposition, which has only 100 seats, may accuse the government of dictatorship.

When asked about the possibility that opposition parties will vote for Move Forward’s PM candidate, Thaksin stated that it is possible. In the past, there were no senators, and parliament must support the winner. However, when it comes to 376 votes, he said that it is now about their spirit whether to vote for the winner or not, adding that it is difficult to predict.

When asked about how much impact his tweet about the desire to come home had on Pheu Thai’s votes, he stated that this issue did not change the election results.

When asked about whether he will come back to Thailand as planned, Thaksin said he misses his grandchildren, and now there is no obstacle to his plan. He added that even though he will end up in jail, whatever will be, will be. Living abroad for 17 years is like being in a large prison, as he is not able to go home.