The Pheu Thai Party, allied with the Shinawatras, tried to wrest power from junta chief Prayuth Chan-ocha – who’s looking for to develop into democratically elected prime minister – with a powerful victory over the military-allied Palang Pracharat party. Given 93 percent of the vote, this consequence seems unlikely.
AND post office in Bangkok statistics showed that Pheu Thai won 130 constituency seats in comparison with Palang Pracharat’s 120 seats. However, the tally of the favored vote showed the pro-military party – formed just last 12 months by Prayuth’s allies – leading with 7.1 million votes in comparison with Pheu Thai’s 6.9 million.
Forecasts suggest Prayuth’s party is on the verge of reaching the important thing threshold of 126 seats within the 500-seat lower house, which might enable Prayuth to stay as prime minister. The lower house consists of 350 constituencies and 150 party-list seats.
Prayuth will need the support of 376 members of the 750-seat bicameral National Assembly, but all 250 senators are junta appointees and can support his candidacy for prime minister.
In turn, Pheu Thai hoped to defeat Palang Pracharat within the lower house.
Thai Politics and Monarchy Explained
Thai Politics and Monarchy Explained
Complicated electoral math is just a part of the political quagmire facing Thailand after a dramatic election night.
Full leads to 350 constituencies were attributable to be announced at 8pm on Sunday – three hours after polls closed – but were pushed back to Monday afternoon. Ittiporn Boonpracong, head of the electoral commission, said he was charged because he “did not have a calculator.” Thai social media users weren’t amused by his excuse and tweeted a hashtag criticizing him.
Hashtags translated as “screwing up the Electoral Commission” and “cheating the election” were also popular. Some users identified inconsistencies between the turnout and the variety of votes solid in some constituencies and questioned the turnout below 70%, which was much lower than expected.
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Political scientist Titipol Phakdeewanich said the likelihood of Palang Pracharat forming a government with the assistance of an unelected senate is contrary to democratic principles.
“In a parliamentary system, the government should be formed by the party with the largest number of seats in the house,” said University professor Ubon Ratchathani. “If Palang Pracharat forms a government, many questions will arise.”
If Palang Pracharat forms a government, many questions will arise
But the implications of the election transcend Pheu Thai and Palang Pracharat.
Some observers saw silver lining within the inevitable defeat of the pro-democracy camp, which had hoped to revive civilian rule after five years of junta rule. Palang Pracharat’s victory likely heralds a quasi-democracy by which Prayuth’s military allies remain within the corridors of power moderately than returning to the barracks.
However, political commentator Panat Tassaneeyanond praised the impressive performance of the pro-democracy Future Forward party, fueled by support from younger voters.
“This is an important step towards the new democracy that the new and old generations want to see,” Panat wrote on Facebook.
The post office in Bangkok predicted that Future Forward, led by billionaire Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, would win 78 seats – 53 from the party list – attributable to its large share of the favored vote.
Two other smaller parties also posted eye-catching results, albeit for various reasons.
Who’s who in the sport of thrones within the Thai elections
Who’s who in the sport of thrones within the Thai elections
The Democrats, traditionally ranked second behind Thaksin’s bloc, saw their support decline and were projected to win 49 seats, far fewer than the 150 they were aiming for.
Longtime party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, who was prime minister of an unelected minority government from 2008 to 2011, said on Sunday he would step down.
The regional Bhumjaithai party, which had campaigned on a platform promising full legalization of recreational marijuana, once more assumed the role of political kingmaker and was forecast to complete third behind Pheu Thai and Palang Pracharat. Its leader, Anutin Charnvirakul, once a Thaksin loyalist, could still form a coalition with Prayuth.
Anuthin said before the election that his party could be “quite essential” for the 2 primary factions in the event that they desired to form a coalition government.
Explanation: A battle royale for Prayuth Chan-ocha and the Shinawatras of the junta
Explanation: A battle royale for Prayuth Chan-ocha and the Shinawatras of the junta
The election results for 350 constituency seats were attributable to be announced this afternoon. Based on these results, the allocation of party lists will be predicted, but that is yet to be formalized by the electoral commission.
The results will only be considered official after the coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, which is able to happen on May 4-6. Until then, the Prayuth administration stays responsible.
