![]() "Younger generations these days care about their rights and they will come out to vote," he told reporters. The demonstrations petered out as Covid-19 curbs were imposed and dozens of leaders were arrested, but their energy fuelled growing support for the more radical opposition MFP.Īs he arrived to vote in Bangkok, Pita, 42, said he expected a "historic turnout". ![]() The election was the first since major youth-led pro-democracy protests erupted across Bangkok in 2020 with demands to curb the power and spending of Thailand's king - breaching a long-held taboo on questioning the monarchy. In the controversial last election in 2019, Prayut rode senate support to become prime minister at the head of a complex multi-party coalition.Īdding to the uncertainty, rumours are already swirling that MFP could be dissolved by court order - the same fate that befell its predecessor Future Forward Party after it performed unexpectedly well at the 2019 poll. The new premier will be chosen jointly by the 500 elected MPs and 250 senate members appointed by Prayut's junta - stacking the deck in the army's favour. The Election Commission is not expected to officially confirm the final number of seats won by each party for several weeks.īut without an overwhelming majority, MFP and Pheu Thai may still face a battle to secure power, thanks to the junta-scripted 2017 constitution. Pheu Thai, the party of billionaire former premier Thaksin Shinawatra now fronted by his daughter, Paetongtarn, had urged voters to deliver them a landslide to see off the threat of military interference. "We are ready to talk to Move Forward, but we are waiting for the official result," she said. Pheu Thai leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra congratulated MFP on their success and said "we can work together". MFP will seek talks with Pheu Thai and a coalition deal is "definitely on the cards", Pita told reporters. MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat said his party could take 160 of the 500 lower house seats, declaring that the result "closed the door" on any chance of army-backed parties forming a minority government. Also Read: Turkish president Erdogan secures strong lead in national election, early results show Prayut's United Thai Nation party lay third on 2.8 million, though it is not yet clear how the popular vote will translate into parliamentary seats. With ballots counted from three quarters of polling stations, the reformist Move Forward Party (MFP) was on nearly 8.4 millions votes followed by Pheu Thai on 6.9 million. The election campaign played out as a clash between a young generation yearning for change and the conservative, royalist establishment embodied by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, the ex-army chief who seized power in a 2014 coup. Thai Prime Minister and United Thai Nation Party's candidate Prayut Chan-O-Cha leaves the party�s headquarters as votes continue to be counted, during Thailand's general election in Bangkok Sunday.(AFP)īut in a kingdom where coups and court orders have often trumped the ballot box, fears persist the military could seek to cling on, raising the prospect of fresh instability. ![]() Thailand's two major opposition parties dominated Sunday's national elections, with voters rejecting nearly a decade of military-backed government.
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