Candidates from the leading opposition party won the most seats in the March 24 election, according to certified results released yesterday by the Election Commission.
The Pheu Thai Party’s victory in 136 constituencies was followed by the pro-junta Palang Pracharath Party’s 97 seats according to the results, which certified results in all but one of the 350 races. A range of potential causes for disqualification remain hanging over the rest – the commission says it is investigating hundreds of complaints that could further tilt the election toward the establishment faction.
Coming in third with 39 seats was the Bhumjaithai Party, followed by the Democrat Party with 33 and Future Forward Party with 30.
Another 150 seats will be handed out to party list candidates based on their performance in the polls by Thursday. The junta is getting closer to seating its 250 hand-picked senators – 15 members of the military government’s interim cabinet resigned yesterday on the expectation they will join the Senate, where they will be get to vote on who serves as the next prime minister.
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Palang Pracharath wants to see that job return to junta leader Prayuth Chan-o-cha, who has spent much of the past five years trying to uproot the legacy and popularity of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra and Pheu Thai. Both parties say they have enough support to form the next government.
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