Key Points
- Two opposition parties have secured 24.6 million votes between them, far more than the ruling party's 4.6 million.
- The results will set off a flurry of party deal-making aimed at ending nine years of conservative, army-backed rule.
- However, a junta-scripted 2017 constitution presents several roadblocks to opposition parties forming government.
Thai voters have delivered a clear rejection of nearly a decade of military-aligned rule, election results showed, backing two pro-democracy opposition parties.
The Move Forward Party (MFP), the newest force in Thai politics that channelled the energy of youth-led pro-democracy protests in 2020, secured the most votes.
Led by charismatic 42-year-old Pita Limjaroenrat, the MFP wants to reform Thailand's strict royal insult laws, setting up a potential clash with the kingdom's powerful royalist-military elite.
Thais went to the polls in large numbers on Sunday after a campaign pitting a young generation yearning for change against the conservative elite embodied by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha.
Move Forward Party supporters cheer as they watch the counting of votes on television at the Move Forward Party headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand. Source: AP / Sakchai Lalit
"People have really opened their eyes."
But in a kingdom where coups and court orders have often trumped the ballot box, she expressed the fears of many that the result may yet be thwarted.
With ballots counted from 99 per cent of polling stations, Election Commission data showed the MFP on 14 million in the popular vote followed by Pheu Thai on 10.6 million.
The United Thai Nation party, led by Prayut - the ex-army chief who seized power in a 2014 coup - was a distant third on 4.6 million.
While not declaring victory, Mr Pita said late Sunday that a coalition deal is "definitely on the cards".
But in a sign of the potential flashpoints ahead, Pita repeated a promise to reform the lese majeste law that invokes harsh prison terms for insulting the monarchy.
This was an issue once deemed untouchable in Thai politics, and which rival opposition party Pheu Thai shied away from during the campaign.
"No matter what, we will push for royal lese majeste law reform," Mr Pita told reporters on Sunday.
'Work together'
Pheu Thai, which has been the most popular party for two decades, has been hoping for a landslide win that would allow it to lead a coalition.
Pheu Thai leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of party patriarch and exiled billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra, congratulated the MFP on their success and signalled cooperation in a potential future government.
"We can work together," she said.
And despite their success, the MFP and Pheu Thai still face many hurdles to secure power, due to a junta-scripted 2017 constitution.
The new premier will be chosen jointly by the 500 elected MPs in the lower house, plus 250 senate members appointed by Prayut's junta.
This stacks the deck in the army's favour.
Ex-army chief and Thai prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha (centre) seized power in a 2014 coup. Credit: United Thai Nation Party Handout
The Election Commission is not expected to officially confirm the final number of seats won by each party for several weeks.
But early Monday it forecast the MFP and Pheu Thai to each win 112 out of a total of 400 constituency seats. The MFP would then likely secure a greater number of the remaining 100 seats to be allocated to parties on a proportional basis.
Protest legacy
This election was the first since the 2020 protest that demanded curbs on the power and spending of Thailand's king.
The demonstrations petered out as COVID-19 restrictions were imposed and dozens of leaders were arrested, but their energy fuelled growing support for the more radical MFP.
"Younger generations these days care about their rights and they will come out to vote," Pita told reporters as he arrived to vote on Sunday.
The MFP targeted millennial and gen Z voters, who make up nearly half the 52 million-strong electorate, but early results indicated that they'd made inroads across all demographics.
The party swept Bangkok, capturing every district but one.
It is predicted to also take districts in the staunchly Pheu Thai northern territories - even flipping Thaksin Shinawatra's home district near northern city Chiang Mai.
