The constitution of 1997 resulted in a shift of power from unelected bureaucrats to the common voter and thus political parties became more important than ever in mobilizing the vote. Thailand’s oldest political party, the Democrat Party, has a very conservative ideology mixing corporatism, extreme nationalism, and royalism. In terms of its core, the Democrat Party enjoys the support of the Upper South and Central Thailand, in particular the middle and traditional upper classes. In the early 21st century Dr. Thaksin Shinawatra managed to bring together a wide range of opposition parties to form the Thai Rak Thai political party. This new party favored globalization, development of the provinces, and greater opportunities for the poor. Predictably, TRT’s platform received considerable support from the provinces and from the working classes while it also created considerable opposition from conservatives.