Thai voters strongly rejected the military-backed government that had been ruling for nearly a decade, according to election results from Thailand. As a result, two important pro-democracy opposition parties won substantial support and are now expected to enter coalition discussions. The rise of the Move Forward Party (MFP)The progressive Move Forward Party (MFP), which pushes for the modification of Thailands severe royal insult laws, appears to be the leading party, laying the stage for a potential clash with the influential royalist-military establishment. The campaign highlighted the younger peoples desire for change and the clash between their aspirations and the conservative elite, represented by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, a former army general who took control of the government in a military coup in 2014.Image: TwitterHowever, in a country where military coups and court judgements have frequently overshadowed democratic procedures, there are still fears that the election outcome will be impeded, leading to greater turmoil. The MFP received 13.5 million votes in the popular vote, according to Election Commission figures, with 97% of polling stations reporting. Pheu Thai received 10.3 million votes. With 4.5 million votes, Prayuts United Thai Nation party came in third place.This is an outstanding achievement for the MFP, a new party that capitalised on the spirit of pro-democracy street movements in Bangkok in 2020. Pita Limjaroenrat, the partys 42-year-old head, indicated that the chance of army-backed parties creating a minority administration had been effectively removed. Pita has stated his intention to hold talks with Pheu Thai, and a coalition arrangement is likely to be pursued.Pita Limjaroenrat (Image: Twitter)Pheu Thai leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra congratulated the MFP on their accomplishment and showed a willingness to collaborate pending the formal declaration of results. In the next few weeks, the Election Commission is anticipated to announce the final seat distribution for each party.According to an early projection released on Monday, the MFP is predicted to win 113 of the 400 constituency seats, significantly outnumbering Pheu Thais 112 seats. An additional 100 seats will be distributed proportionally among political parties. The result is a big setback for Pheu Thai, the current version of the political movement founded by Paetongtarns father, a millionaire former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin-affiliated parties had previously won the majority of seats in every election since 2001, and Paetongtarn had called for a landslide victory to counter the threat of military interference. Despite their achievement, the MFP and Pheu Thai may encounter difficulties acquiring power due to provisions of the 2017 constitution drafted by the military government.Furthermore, rumours are spreading that the MFP may be forced to dissolve through a court decision, as occurred to its predecessor, the Future Forward Party when it surprisingly performed well in the 2019 election. This is the first election since large-scale mass protests in 2020 broke the long-standing ban on criticising the monarchys power and expenditures. Despite the fact that the rallies diminished as a result of COVID-19 limitations and the subsequent arrests of multiple protest leaders, their vigour led to the growing popularity of the more radical opposition group, MFP.Response of Prime Minister Prayut on the election outcomeAs the election results came in, Prime Minister Prayut left his party offices, thanking voters for their support. He remarked that regardless of the result, he will continue to give his all. Prayut has used strong nationalist rhetoric to appeal to older people, presenting himself as the only candidate capable of protecting Thailand from anarchy and ruin. However, he was blamed for the countrys sluggish economy and slow recovery from the pandemic, which badly harmed the countrys key tourism business.Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha (Image: Twitter)Rights groups criticise Prayut for supervising a harsh crackdown on basic freedoms, with a significant surge in prosecutions for royal defamation under Thailands draconian rules. Thailand has had multiple coups over the last century, and it has been engaged in a cycle of protests on the streets, military actions, and court judgements dissolving political parties over the last two decades.The question now is whether the powerful royalist-military coalition will find a way to accept the more radical MFP. The election result marks a fundamental shift in the political environment, with the pro-democracy opposition gaining significant support and potentially challenging the establishments control. The final seat distribution will be determined in the coming weeks, as will the coalition negotiations that will shape Thailands governance.
