Protesters gathered at the Democracy Monument to voice their resentment after Pita Limjaroenrat was suspended from parliamentary duties and rejected for renomination as prime minister.

On 19 July 2023, a pro-democracy protest occupied the area around the Democracy Monument and more protesters joined the protest after parliament voted against Pita Limjaroenrat, the only PM candidate from the Move Forward Party (MFP), being nominated for a second time after he did not receive enough parliamentary votes, falling short of the necessary threshold by 51 votes to become PM.

“Many of my friends have lost hope today. They say, 'Why did I vote? I voted, and I do not get what I want.' I feel I cannot think that way. The more we face an unfair environment like this, the more we have to fight against it. We feel we can no longer accept these things," said Bhumibhat ‘Aim’ Thavornsiri, a Thai actor and model.

Bhumibhat Thavornsiri

He is hopeful that democracy will flourish while he is still alive.

Uchen Cheangsen, a political science professor who joined the protest, told Prachatai that not only MFP voters but also Pheu Thai voters joined the protest as they feel that the first-ranked party should be the one to form a government.

Uchen Cheangsen

“The things we do don’t obstruct the democratic process. We do not block elections. However, we are pushing to make the democratic process possible and real,” he said.

Boonsong Nakphoo, an actor and film director, stated that ordinary people have no guns, no laws in their hands, and no authority. What they can do is to protest, but the protest needs to be huge enough to fight against oppressive regimes. Even if it seems like a dim hope, Boonsong believes that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Boonsong Nakphoo

“I am not hopeless at all. The ones who are truly hopeless are those who destroy the will of the people. (They) have no hope, they have no other way out, so they come up with this resolution. I feel that I am not hopeless and I will see what hopeless idea the hopeless ones on the other side will come up with again because the people still have hope,” said Aey, a 27-year-old copywriter.

She noted that society has changed. More people from a wide range of ages joined the protest, indicating that people have seen the light. She added that protests are a sign that the country has changed.

Regarding developments in the parliament, Golf, a 41-year-old father of a child, expressed his feelings saying ‘I am angry’. He remarked that he is discouraged but will not retreat. On the other hand, he is more hopeful since most elderly people who he talked with voted for the MFP.

“They want to see the country change,” said Golf. 

Mock cremation for the senators and the Constitutional Court