Thai opposition parties form coalition after electoral success

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
15 May 16:36

The two parties that dominated Sunday's elections are the Move Forward party and Phey Thai Party.

Move Forward Party leader and prime ministerial candidate, Pita Limjaroenrat, attends a press conference following the general election, at the party's headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand, May 15, 2023. (Reuters)

Reuters reported on Monday that Thailand's two main opposition parties agreed to form a ruling coalition after they heavily defeated rivals in elections that were backed by the military and who have been in control of the government for almost a decade.

The two parties who dominated Sunday's elections are the Move Forward party and opposition party Phey Thai.

Several challenges lie ahead of the two parties in garnering enough support in a political environment heavily dominated by the country's military.

The newly-formed coalition would have to ensure that efforts to form a new government would not be challenged by a junta-backed Senate, which is charged with the task of voting on a prime minister.

Over the years, conservatives have generally been favored by military officials, however, the coalition hopes to make a turn of the tide.

Pita Limjaroenrat, Move Forward's 42-year-old leader made the proposition to form an alliance of six parties that would command 309 seats, casting him as prime minister. But he would still require 376 seats to get elected to the premiership.

During a press conference, Limjaroenrat said that all sides in the upper house Senate will have to respect the outcome of the election and that there is no utility in going against it.

"I am not worried but I am not careless," he told reporters.

"It will be quite a hefty price to pay if someone is thinking about debunking the election result or forming a minority government."

Pheu Thai, the party that won the most seats in every election this century, convened with Pita's proposal and wished him luck in his efforts to become prime minister.

"Pheu Thai has no plan to form any other government," leader Chonlanan Srikaew told a press conference.

Asked about the possibility of their coalition being thwarted by the upper house, he said: "In principle, Senators will have to respect the people's voice."