Opposition challenge to form government Advance nears sweep of capital Bangkok No alliances with dictator-backed parties – PitaPM Prayuth heading for defeat, hope for peace Too soon to discuss alliances – Pheu Thai
BANGKOK, May 14 (Reuters) – Thailand’s political opposition was eyeing a landslide victory in Sunday’s election as voters rallied behind two parties promising sweeping changes and an end to a decade of rule conservative led or supported by the military.
The Pheu Thai Party and the liberal Move Forward party advanced with more than 90% of the votes counted, but are not certain to lead the next government, with parliamentary rules written by the military after the 2014 coup tilted in their favor .
To govern, opposition parties will have to reach deals, including with members of a junta-appointed Senate that sided with the military parties and can vote on who becomes prime minister and form a government.
Sunday’s election was the latest bout in a long-running power battle between Pheu Thai, the populist juggernaut of the billionaire Shinawatra family, and a nexus of old money, conservatives and the military with influence over key institutions at the heart of two decades of agitation .
But the impressive performance of Move Forward, which has a wave of support from young voters, will test the resolve of Thailand’s establishment and ruling parties, after it closed in on a clean neighborhood in the capital Bangkok, making campaign on a platform of institutional reform and the dismantling of business monopolies.
Its leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, a 43-year-old former executive at a transport app, called the result “sensational” and vowed to stay true to his party’s values when he forms government.
“They will be parties supported by anti-dictators and the military, for sure,” he told reporters. “I think it’s safe to assume that minority government is no longer possible here in Thailand.”
He said he remains open to an alliance with Pheu Thai, but has set his sights on the prime minister.
“If Move Forward comes first, we will form a government and I will be prime minister,” added Pita.
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MAJOR BLOW
The preliminary results will be a crushing blow to the military and its allies, with Palang Pracharat, the former junta’s political vehicle, and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s United Thai Nation seemingly headed for a major defeat .
[1/14] Pheu Thai prime ministerial candidate Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, casts her vote in the general election at a polling station in Bangkok, Thailand May 14, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer
Prayuth, a retired general who led the last coup, had campaigned for continuity after nine years at the helm, warning of the instability of a government change.
On Sunday, Prayuth quietly slipped away from his party’s headquarters, where few supporters were visible.
A handful of staff sat around plates of food without food and a giant TV screen showed a live speech from the Move Forward leader.
“I hope the country will be peaceful and prosperous,” he told reporters. “I respect democracy and elections. Thank you.”
Early results were expected for Pheu Thai, which along with previous court-dissolved incarnations has dominated Thailand’s elections, winning the most votes in every vote since 2001, including two landslide victories.
Founded by the polarizing self-exiled tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra, Pheu Thai remains hugely popular among the working classes and was betting on being swept into power by nostalgia for a range of populist policies including cheap health care, microloans and generous subsidies agricultural
Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn, 36, has been tipped to follow in her father’s footsteps and become prime minister.
She said she was happy with Move Forward, but it was too early to talk about alliances.
“The voice of the people is the most important thing,” he said.
Move Forward saw a late rally in opinion polls and was banking on 3.3 million early voters backing its liberal agenda, including plans to weaken the military’s political role and change a strict law about the royal insults that critics say is used to stifle. dissent
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University, said the rise of Move Forward demonstrated a major shift in Thai politics.
“Pheu Thai fought the wrong war. Pheu Thai fought the war of populism that it already won,” he said.
“Move Forward takes the game to the next level with institutional reform. This is the new battleground of Thai politics… And today’s votes are a testament to Move Forward’s forward-looking program for Thailand.”
Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng; Written by Martin Petty; Edited by William Mallard
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