The Bangkok Post reported that the National Election Commission of Thailand (NEC) said on the morning of May 15 that the vote counting was complete and the Move Forward Party (MFP) won the general election held the day before.
Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat at the party headquarters in Bangkok on May 15.
NEC Chairman Ittiporn Boonpracong said the MFP won a total of 151 seats, followed by Pheu Thai with 141 seats, Bhumjaithai with 71 seats and Palang Pracharath with 40 seats. The United Thai National Party (UTN), represented by current Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, won 36 seats. The remaining seats went to the Democrats, Chartthaipattana, Prachachat, Thai Sang Chart, Pheu Thai Ruam Palang, Chartpattanakla, Seriruamthai and Thai Sang Thai.
Alliance Plan
According to the NEC, the turnout was 75.22 percent among more than 52 million voters, surpassing the 75.03 percent in 2011. Voters flocked to the polls and many rejected incumbent Prime Minister Prayuth, who has criticized the sluggish economy. MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat, 43, said he was building a coalition of six parties, including Pheu Thai. "I am ready to become Thailand's 30th prime minister," he told reporters at the MFP headquarters in Bangkok, AFP reported.
Thai opposition wins election, will discuss alliance with Shinawatra family party
Mr. Pita called the candidate of the Pheu Thai Party, Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, to congratulate and invite them to join the coalition. The two main opposition parties won a total of 292 seats, exceeding the 251 seats needed to form a government in the lower house. Mr. Pita is trying to form a six-party coalition with 309 seats. However, this is still not enough to secure the 376 seats needed in parliament for him to firmly hold the position of prime minister.
Meanwhile, the Pheu Thai party said it agreed with Mr Pita's proposal and wished him luck in his bid to become prime minister. "Pheu Thai has no plans to form another government," Reuters quoted the party's leader Chonlanan Srikaew as saying.
New direction
Observers say the MFP's victory brings a new dimension to the years-long power struggle between the Shinawatra clan and military-backed parties. The MFP has vowed to reform the lese majeste law, which carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison, and is expected to clash with the royalist military. The MFP is the only party committed to reforming the lese majeste law. The topic has long been absent from Thai politics, and even the Pheu Thai Party has said it will leave it to parliament to decide. However, Mr. Pita said on May 14 that "no matter what, we will push for reform of the lese majeste law."
Mr Pita has been an active presence on the campaign trail. With his photogenic face, the politician has used his youth and energy to reach voters hungry for change after eight years of military-backed rule. He studied in New Zealand and the US and won an international scholarship to Harvard University before becoming a businessman. However, after his father died at the age of 25, he returned to run his family's debt-ridden Agrifood business and turned it around. He later became the transport and delivery director of Grab Thailand. In 2012, he married Thai TV actress Chutima Teepanat and the couple had a 7-year-old daughter. The marriage collapsed in 2019. His daughter has been a regular on the campaign trail, as he often brings her on stage after his speeches, to the delight of the crowd. He has a personal account with nearly 1 million followers, where he shares pictures of himself and his daughter wearing matching T-shirts and eating ice cream. Now he is trying to form a coalition with other parties and attract more support, before the two houses of parliament elect a prime minister in July from among the eligible candidates.
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