The pro-democracy opposition in Thailand won a resounding victory in Sunday's parliamentary elections. Pita Limjaroenrat (centre) of the progressive Move Forward party wants to change the country. © Sakchai Lalit/dpa
In the election in Thailand, a clear defeat of the pro-military government is emerging. Whether there will also be a change of power remains to be seen for the time being.
In Thailand's parliamentary elections, Thailand's two main opposition parties have won an overwhelming victory after nearly a decade of military-backed governments. According to preliminary results, the winner of the vote is the progressive Move Forward party under its young leader Pita Limjaroenrat (42). After counting 99 percent of the votes, the party, which was founded in 2014, has a total of about 150 seats in the 500-member parliament, according to the electoral commission.
Second place, with probably around 140 seats, is occupied by the likewise opposition party Pheu Thai under the leadership of 36-year-old Paetongtarn Shinawatra. She is the daughter of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was overthrown in 2006 and now lives in exile. On the other hand, the ruling military, which came to power after a coup in 2014, suffered heavy losses. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha's United Thai Nation (UTN) party was clearly lagging behind in third place.
Election in Thailand: People call for reform of the monarchy
"In Thailand, it's time for a change," said Pita Limjaroenrat. Cooperation between the current opposition parties is the perfect way to overcome the challenges facing the country. Among other things, his party advocates the abolition of conscription and a reform of the monarchy. The Southeast Asian holiday destination has probably the toughest lèse-majesté law in the world. It provides for extremely long prison sentences for lèse majesté. There have been protests against this for a long time.
"Together we will change the country," the party leader wrote on Twitter. The MFP is particularly popular with supporters of the pro-democracy protests that have been taking place in the capital Bangkok since 2020 and are demanding a reform of the Thai monarchy. The PTP, on the other hand, has its strongholds in rural northeastern Thailand, where many people are still grateful for the measures introduced under Thaksin's government to support socially disadvantaged people.
Elections in Thailand: Military plays decisive role in forming a government
However, forming a government is likely to be a long and complicated road. Due to the political system in Thailand, Prayut could possibly hold on to power even after a clear defeat. According to the constitution adopted in 2017 under the then ruling military junta, the head of government is elected in Thailand not only by the 500 deputies, but also by the 250 senators appointed by the military.
The head of government is the one who collects a total of at least 376 votes - so only 125 votes from the House of Representatives are expected to be enough for a candidate close to the military. Even after the last election in 2019, the support of the senators was crucial for the coalition under Prayut. A potential kingmaker is Prayut's ex-ally Prawit Wongsuwan, who ran for the army-backed Palang Pracharath (PPRP) in the election.
Elections in Thailand: Military intervention conceivable
The parliamentary election, with a total of around 52 million eligible voters, was the first nationwide election since the beginning of the democracy protests in 2020. It has developed into a generational conflict between the pro-democracy opposition and the conservative, military-allied royalist establishment embodied by Prayut and his UTN.
0
Also Read
Turkey election: run-off election looms – Erdogan ahead of Kilicdaroglu, but no absolute majority
READ
Situation "unacceptable" for shipping company: Russia seizes Danish ships of the Maersk group
READ
Gossip at Bremen election 2023: Habeck's affairs plunge Greens into the abyss
READ
Bremen election 2023: SPD can rejoice - clap for the Greens, BiW almost double-digit
READ
Ukraine war: Russia has already lost geopolitically – "vassal of China"
READ
Fancy a voyage of discovery?
My Area
Since the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932, there have been twelve successful coups d'état in Thailand. Experts believe that military intervention is possible if the current opposition parties form a government. In addition, rumours had recently spread in the country that the opposition MFP could be dissolved by a court order - like its predecessor party FFP after its surprisingly good election result in 2019. (cs/dpa/afp)
