New Aspiration Party
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The New Aspiration Party (Phak Khwam Wang Mai) is a political party in Thailand. At the last legislative elections, 6 February 2005, the party won 0.4 % of the popular vote and no seats.
The party's earlier incarnation was established in the early 1990s by General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh after his retirement as Commander-In-Chief of the Royal Thai Army. This party won the elections of 1996 and formed a government with Chavalit as Prime Minister. The onset of the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997 hit the government's popularity party hard, and New Aspiration was soon forced back into opposition. Discredited as a result of the economic crisis, Chavalit formed an alliance with the more popular Thai Rak Thai Party led by Thaksin Shinawatra to contest the 2001 elections. Shortly after the election, the New Aspiration Party merged with Thai Rak Thai and Chavalit become Deputy Prime Minister in Thaksin's new cabinet.
The current incarnation of the party was established to contest the 2005 elections, in which it won few votes. It has no connection to Chavalit's now-defunct party, which was a major player in Thai politics. In contrast, the current version of the New Aspiration Party is not considered a significant player on Thailand's political scene.
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