Thailand’s reformist opposition has won the most seats and the largest share of the popular vote in a general election. After voters resoundingly rejected the military-backed parties that have ruled the Southeast Asian country for nearly a decade.
With nearly all votes counted on Monday, the progressive Move Forward Party (MFP) and the populist Pheu Thai Party projected to win about 286 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives.
But uncertainty remains about whether they could form the next government due to skewed parliamentary rules. It allows 250 members of a military-appointed Senate to vote on the prime minister.
Thus means MFP and Pheu Thai will need the support of smaller parties to establish a new administration.
The biggest winner of Sunday’s vote was MFP. This progressive youth-led party contested the general elections for the first time on a bold platform of reforming the monarchy. Thus reducing the power of the military by rewriting the country’s constitution and ending conscription.
With 99 per cent of votes counted, the MFP looked set to take the most significant share of the lower house with 147 seats. Also preliminary results published on the election commission website showed. The figure includes 112 from the 400 seats that directly elected and 35 from the 100 seats allocated to parties on a proportional basis