Former leader of Thailand's Move Forward party, now a liberal icon banned from running for office. He led Move Forward to a first-place finish at the 2023 election but was promptly blocked from forming a government by the Senate, whose members had been appointed by the army.
In 2024 the Constitutional Court dissolved Move Forward and banned Mr Pita from running for office for ten years, ruling that the party had violated the constitution when it pledged to reform Thailand's strict lèse-majesté laws criminalising any criticism of the monarchy.
Most of Move Forward's members regrouped into the People's Party. Before Mr Pita was banned, polls suggested 45% of Thais preferred him as prime minister; his successor as party leader commands only about 25% support. Though unable to run himself, Mr Pita was asked by the People's Party to campaign in the final fortnight before the February 2026 election, in hopes that his presence would boost the party's chances.
I got my driver's license photo taken out of focus on purpose. Now when I get pulled over the cop looks at it (moving it nearer and farther, trying to see it clearly)... and says, "Here, you can go."