Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s Bhumjaithai party took a decisive lead in Thailand’s general election on Sunday, with about 90% of votes counted, according to unofficial results released by the state Election Commission.
Data published on the commission’s website shortly before midnight showed the conservative Bhumjaithai party securing 195 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives.
At least 251 seats are required for the House to elect a prime minister and form a new government. It remained unclear whether Bhumjaithai would be able to cross that threshold on its own or would need to seek allies to form a coalition.
The progressive People’s Party, which had been widely expected to emerge as the largest party, was in second place with 114 seats. The populist Pheu Thai party, linked to the political network of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, followed with 78 seats.
Of the 500 seats in the House of Representatives, 400 are filled through direct constituency elections, while the remaining 100 are allocated from party lists based on each party’s proportional share of the national vote cast on a separate ballot. The final distribution of party-list seats could still change until counting is completed.
The election, involving about 53 million registered voters, was held amid sluggish economic growth and rising nationalist sentiment. Although more than 50 parties took part, only three — Bhumjaithai, the People’s Party and Pheu Thai — were seen as having sufficient nationwide reach to secure a strong mandate.
Pre-election surveys had consistently suggested that no single party would win an outright majority, making a coalition government likely.
Analysts had also said that even if the reformist People’s Party topped the poll, its agenda was unlikely to be shared by its main rivals, potentially leaving it unable to build a governing coalition.
The People’s Party, led by Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, was formed as the successor to the Move Forward Party, which won the most seats in the 2023 election but was blocked from forming a government by conservative lawmakers and later dissolved.
On Friday night, Natthaphong acknowledged early indications that his party would not finish first and said it would accept the election outcome.
“We respect the parliamentary system, that we have to allow the winner to form the government first, and for now, we don’t think we are going to form a government in competition with Bhumjaithai,” he said, apparently referring to any attempt to form an alternative coalition when the House votes.
He also said his party would not support Bhumjaithai’s candidate for prime minister.
Bhumjaithai’s Anutin thanked voters for their support and vowed his party will work hard for Thai people.
“At this moment, our people have given us more than what we expected this morning. So we owe our voters a fortune and we will only repay them by working at our utmost to bring all the good things to them and our country,” he said.
Pheu Thai party leader Julapun Amornvivat likewise thanked voters.
“It will be the duty of the party that wins the most votes to form a government later on. For the Pheu Thai Party, whichever role we end up in, we will do our best to work for the people, at our full capacity,” he said.
It’s widely assumed that Pheu Thai will accept if asked to join a coalition government led by Bhumjaithai.
Bhumjaithai is seen as the main defender and preferred choice of the royalist-military establishment.
Anutin has been prime minister only since last September, after serving in the Cabinet of his immediate predecessor, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was forced out of office for an ethics violation regarding mishandling relations with Cambodia. He dissolved parliament in December to call a new election after he was threatened with a no-confidence vote.
Subsequent border clashes with Cambodia allowed Anutin to recast himself as a wartime leader after his popularity initially slipped because of floods and financial scandals. His campaign focuses on national security and economic stimulus.
Bhumjaithai benefited from an electoral strategy employing old-style patronage politics and a machine skilled at grassroots organizing in the vote-rich northeast.
Sunday’s voting includes a referendum asking voters whether Thailand should replace its 2017 military-drafted constitution.
The vote isn’t on a proposed draft, but rather to decide whether to authorize parliament to begin a formal drafting process, which would require many further steps before coming to fruition. About 60% voted in agreement to the new draft, a clear majority.
Pro-democracy groups view a new charter as a critical step toward reducing the influence of unelected institutions such as the military and judiciary, while conservatives warn that it could cause instability.
With inputs from agencies
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