Leader of Pheu Thai Party calls on PM to dissolve parliament, hold snap election

After a solid win for the Pheu Thai Party in Sunday’s Bangkok by-elections, the party’s leader has called on the Thai PM to dissolve parliament and hold a snap election. Chonlanan Srikaew has welcomed the win and said PM Prayut Chan-o-cha should now dissolve parliament so that fresh elections can be held. Speaking yesterday, he said the government’s failure to ease the ongoing financial burden of Thai people led to by-election defeat for the ruling Palang Pracharat Party.

According to a Thai PBS World report, he says the best course of action available to the PM now is to dissolve parliament, adding that doing so is nothing to be ashamed of. Chonlanan says the by-election result is proof that the Thai people have had enough and now want political change and full democracy. He was already vowed that the Pheu Thai Party will work harder to ensure a landslide victory in the next general election, after which it will form a new government and get to work for the people.

In Sunday’s by-election, the Pheu Thai Party was confirmed victorious after votes from 265 polling units, out of a total of 280, had been counted. This amounted to nearly 95% of the votes, with Pheu Thai’s candidate, Surachart Thienthong, gaining a solid victory over Move Forward’s Karoonpon Tiensuwan, with 27,284 votes to 19,081.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World