As of 9 p.m. on May 14, about 20 percent of the votes had been counted. Accordingly, the opposition Pheu Thai Party, led by Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is leading with 107 seats in parliament. The opposition Move Forward Party (MFP) follows with 86 seats. Meanwhile, the United Thai National Party of incumbent Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha casts his vote in Bangkok on May 14.
Chan-ocha won just 27 seats and Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan's Civic Force party won just 36. However, the final number of seats each party officially won will not be confirmed for several weeks.
The results are consistent with exit polls and pre-election polls that suggest Pheu Thai is likely to win. However, there is no guarantee that the opposition will take power, even if it forms a coalition.
Under the 2017 military-drafted constitution, the 500 lawmakers elected on May 14, along with 250 senators appointed by Prayut’s government, will vote for the prime minister. This means Pheu Thai and the MFP must win 376 seats to form a government.
The country has seen dozens of coups, protests and the dissolution of political parties by court order, so an unclear or disputed result in this election could lead to a new round of unrest, AFP said.
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