Thailand General Election shows opposition parties in the lead

Preliminary results of Thailand’s General Election revealed that the majority of voters support the opposition parties Move Forward and Pheu Thai to lead the country, potentially ending nearly nine years of pro-military rule under incumbent Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Data from the Election Commission of Thailand displayed a strong lead for both parties, with 114 and 111 constituency seats respectively.

As of Monday, 81% of the votes were accounted for, with the Bhumjaithai Party securing 66 constituency seats. Prayut’s United Thai Nation Party won 25 seats, according to preliminary results.

Move Forward Party leader and prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat expressed gratitude to voters for their support and assured them that his party would work to the best of its ability. The party seeks to exclude Palang Pracharat and United Thai Nation when forming the government, distancing itself from Prawit Wongsuwon, the incumbent deputy prime minister and leader of the military-backed Palang Pracharat Party.

Srettha Thavisin, the prime ministerial candidate for the Pheu Thai Party, stated it is too early to answer whether it will work with Palang Pracharat to form a coalition government. Pheu Thai had previously informed local media that it would not join Palang Pracharat to form the country’s next government, even without a landslide victory in the election.

An opinion poll conducted from May 1 to 11 by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) predicted that the Pheu Thai Party would win the most seats, followed by the Move Forward Party and Bhumjaithai Party. About 52 million people were eligible to vote on Sunday to elect 500 members of the House of Representatives, the lower house of parliament.

The uncertainty remains as to which party will form the government and who will win the premiership. The forming of the government can take time, as seen in past elections. The Bhumjaithai Party now finds itself in a crucial position to determine the government’s formation reports Channel News Asia.

Jurin Laksanawisit, leader and prime ministerial candidate of Thailand’s oldest party Democrat, resigned on Sunday, claiming responsibility for the party’s poor performance in the election.