Thai Election: Vote Count Confirms Winners
16 May 2023
Thailand has completed its vote count for Sunday's election, and as Graeme Acton reports, the results point to a generational change in the Kingdom's politics.
Thailand’s progressive Move Forward Party (MFP), has declared victory in Sunday’s general election.
“I am ready to be the prime minister for all, whether you agree with me or not,” said party leader Pita Limjaroenrat, following the vote count by Thailand’s election commission..
Mr Pita said he had congratulated Pheu Thai Party leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra, inviting her to be part of a four-party coalition of 309 MPs to form a new government.
“I think it’s safe to assume that we have secured the majority in forming the government going forward,” he told reporters.
The party has also set up a transition team to embark on a handover process from the previous government.
“To minimise the risk economically and politically, we will try to form the government as soon as possible,” said Mr Pita, whose party has gained 151 seats and some 14 million votes, giving it the largest share of the 500 seats contested.
However the process of getting the 42 year old MFP leader installed as prime minister has a couple of substantial hurdles yet to jump.
Most vitally, the 250-seat Senate gets to decide, along with the Lower House, on who becomes prime minister. Every one of those senators was appointed by the pro-military government which has just been shown the door by the Thai people.
The MFP now needs to convince at least 67 of them that they should support the new government,
The senators may choose to support current Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha as premier. Some have already indicated they are unhappy with an MFP Coalition government.
The former army chief, who has helmed Thailand since 2014 when he staged a military coup toppling the civilian government, is a prime ministerial nominee of the United Thai Nation party..
This would mean that Mr Prayut would go on to head a minority government, and a largely impotent one unable to pass laws without major negotiations with the opposition.
Then there is the possibility Mr Pita, or his party, are somehow dis-established.
The MFP leader already faces an investigation by the election commission over his apparent ownership of shares in a media company. If that enquiry confirms his guilt, Pita may be forced to resign as an MP.
Depending on how that played out, a worst-case scenario could see the MFP dissolved as a party altogether over “electoral fraud”, as has happened to numerous parties over the years.
While there are currently no specific complaints that could lead to the MFP being dissolved, that situation could change.
Apart from the future shape of the new government, the election result itself is perhaps no surprise given the levels of animosity and outright anger against the Prayut administration from many younger Thais, who feel their voice has been utterly submerged in recent years.
Thailand’s younger generations are gasping for change, be it reform of the monarchy, reform of the military, reform of the controversial lese majeste law, and a lot more besides.
In this way the poll is not just a political event, it’s an inter-generational contest, and a battle of political ideologies over the way Thailand goes forward in the next twenty years.
For the moment at least, the Kingdom’s younger generations feel their voice has at last been heard.
Asia Media Centre