# Zen Dai Party

The Zen-dai Party (Thai: พรรคเส้นด้าย) is a minor libertarian political party in Thailand. It was originally established as the Thai Civil Power Party on 10 August 2018, registering as the 11th political party under the Organic Act on Political Parties of 2017. The party was later renamed the Thai Citizen Power Party before adopting its current name and libertarian political orientation as the Zen-dai Party on 19 February 2023.

## History
### Thai Civil Power Party

The Thai Civil Power Party was formed by former ministers and former MPs from all regions of the country, led by Mr. Samphan Lertnuwat, a former minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office, as the prospective party leader. Other founding members included several former ministers, such as Mr. Ekkaporn Rakkhamsuk and Mr. Piyanat Watcharapon.
The party held its first general meeting on Sunday, April 29, 2018, at 13:30 at the Miracle Grand Hotel. Mr. Samphan Lertnuwat was elected as the first party leader, and Mr. Ekkaporn Rakkhamsuk was elected as the first party secretary-general, along with five deputy party leaders. Ms. Silumpa Lertnuwat was appointed as the deputy secretary-general. Mr. Samphan and his team officially submitted the registration for the establishment of the Thai Civil Power Party on Tuesday, May 22, 2018. The Election Commission registered the Thai Civil Power Party as the 4th political party of 2018 on Friday, August 10, 2018, and it was published in the Royal Gazette on Thursday, September 13, 2018.

### Thai Citizen Power Party

Later, the Thai Civil Power Party held an extraordinary general meeting (3/2018) on December 10, 2018, where it was resolved to change the party's name to Thai Citizen Power Party. Mr. Samphan Lertnuwat continued to serve as the party leader. Subsequently, Mr. Samphan decided to resign from his positions as party leader and party member. He took his daughter, Silumpa, who was the party's only MP, to join the United Thai Nation Party after the party's executive committee resolved to expel them on February 8, 2023.

### Zen-dai Party

After Mr. Samphan Lertnuwat resigned as the party leader, the Thai Citizen Power Party held an annual general meeting to elect a new executive committee on February 19, 2023. The meeting elected Chris Potanan, a former founder of the Future Forward Party, as the new party leader and changed the party's name to Zen-dai Party. The Zen-dai Party held its first public rally on Sunday, March 5, 2023.

## Political Role

In the 2019 Thai general election, the Thai Citizen Power Party had one party-list MP, Silumpa Lertnuwat.
After changing to the **Zen-dai Party**, one member of the Bangkok Metropolitan Council from the Move Forward Party, Peeraphon Kanokvalai, joined the Zen-dai Party and also served as its secretary-general.
In the 2023 Thai general election, the Zen-dai Party announced its candidacy primarily in the Bangkok area, contesting in 20 districts and fielding 11 party-list candidates. Some candidates had previously run for the Bangkok Metropolitan Council under the Move Forward Party but were not elected.

## Party Ideology

The Zen-dai Party's policies, as announced on their website, support economic freedom through free market policies, free trade, tax rate reductions, and downsizing the state in line with Chicago School of Economics principles. The party's social and political policies focus on reducing and eliminating cronyism in society and promoting democracy without relying on power structures established for the benefit of a select few.

## Party Personnel
### Party Leaders

Thai Civil Power Party :
| No. | Name | Start | End |
| 1 | Samphan Lertnuwat | 10 August 2018 | 10 December 2018 |
| Thai Citizen Power Party ||||
| 2 | Ekkaporn Rakkhamsuk | 10 December 2018 | 6 February 2019 |
| - | Silumpa Lertnuwat | 6 February 2019 (Acting) | 15 September 2019 |
| (1) | Samphan Lertnuwat | 15 September 2019 | 8 February 2023 |
| Zen-dai Party ||||
| 3 | Chris Potanan | 19 February 2023 | Present |

### Party Secretaries

Thai Civil Power Party :
| No. | Name | Start | End |
| 1 | Ekkaporn Rakkhamsuk | 10 August 2018 | 10 December 2018 |
| Thai Citizen Power Party ||||
| (1) | Ekkaporn Rakkhamsuk | 10 December 2018 | 6 February 2019 |
| - | Somkiat Watthanasirichai | 6 February 2019 (Acting) | 15 September 2019 |
| 2 | Silumpa Lertnuwat | 15 September 2019 | 8 February 2023 |
| Zen-dai Party ||||
| 3 | Peeraphon Kanokvalai | 19 February 2023 | Present |

## General Election Results

| Election | Number of Seats | Total Votes | Vote Share | Seat Change | Election Outcome | Election Leader |
| Thai Citizen Power Party |||||||
| 2019 | 1 / 500 | 44,961 | 0.13% | 1 | Joined Government | Samphan Lertnuwat |
| Zen-dai Party |||||||
| 2023 | 0 / 500 | 10,410 | | 1 | Not Elected | Chris Potanan |