The pro-reform Move Forward Party has claimed a shock victory in Thailand's elections, with over 14 million votes and is now seeking to form a coalition with fellow pro-democrats Pheu Thai and five other parties. However, this does not mean Move Forward will now run the government in Thailand's democracy and the party faces several challenges in trying to take power. Winning support of the senate, courts, military, and the establishment, which are deeply conservative and traditional, will be some of the key hurdles for Move Forward as it seeks to reform Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code: the law protecting the monarchy which shield the ultra-rich monarchy. This will involve demilitarisation, protecting personal and political freedoms, and hacking back monopoly businesses. Furthermore, the party's promise to increase wages, strengthen skills and tackle Thailand's monopoly culture, and to shift to a more balanced foreign policy will also be challenging.
Thailand's opposition parties, led by the liberal Move Forward Party, have begun coalition talks after trouncing their military-allied rivals in Sunday's election. Move Forward, which won the most votes, topped another opposition party, the political heavyweight Pheu Thai, in a vote that dealt a significant blow to Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's establishment. However, with a military-crafted constitution requiring more than half of votes in a bicameral legislature, analysts expect weeks to months of talks before a new government is formed. During coalition talks, some Thais questioned the necessity for an unelected 250-member Senate, who have supported Prayuth and conservatives in the past.
Thailand is seeing a battle over the formation of a ruling coalition to install a pro-democracy prime minister after the country’s two main opposition parties won big in the election, beating parties backed by the military. A vote in parliament is expected to take place by August, with the coalition needing 376 votes to elect a prime minister. The progressive Move Forward party has the most seats in the house of reps with 152, however, its progressive platform on the law punishing criticism of Thailand’s king by up to 15 years in prison makes it an anathema to potential partners.
Thailand has voted in the country’s first election since a military coup in 2014. Over 52 million people were eligible to vote for the 500 seats in the lower house of parliament, with 400 of these seats being constituencies and 100 allocated through party votes. Despite there being significant irregularities reported across the country, initial results indicate that the largest number of seats have been won by the Move Forward party, led by Pita Limjaroenrat. Limjaroenrat has promised to bring “good politics” to Thailand and is set to form a government with the current opposition party, Pheu Thai. This has the potential to be a significant change to Thai politics, as despite the elections still being tightly controlled by the military junta, it is hoped that these elections will eventually result in a return to a functioning democracy. There are concerns, however, that the government could become deadlocked over the candidate for prime minister due to the uneven distribution of power between the lower and upper houses.
Thailand's progressive Move Forward Party has announced that it has held its first face-to-face discussions with five other parties in an attempt to form a coalition government, following its stunning national election victory last week. The group will have to convince at least some members of the Senate to achieve the necessary 376 votes, however, all of the senators were appointed by the junta which Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha led after staging the 2014 coup and share the military’s conservative royalist bent. The election victory by the two main opposition parties, which together captured a majority of the House seats, was a major blow to the conservative establishment that has been in power since 2014.
The liberal Move Forward Party is leading talks with five other parties about forming a government in Thailand after it won the largest share of the vote in last weekend's election. However, with the upper house of the legislature appointed by the defeated military-linked government and conservatives, there is no guarantee a coalition will be formed. There may also be disagreements between parties on the country's strict laws against criticism of the royal family. The Bhumjaithai Party, the third-strongest party in the vote, said it would not support any changes to the laws.
Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of Thailand’s Move Forward Party, which won a surprise victory in Sunday’s elections, has called for a coalition government including pre-poll favourite Pheu Thai and six smaller pro-democracy parties with a total of 313 seats in the 500-seat lower house of parliament. The party wants to reform, rather than abolish, the law against insulting the monarchy and has made cutting the military’s political grip the centrepiece of its campaign. However, the country’s Senate is appointed and could block Pita as prime minister. Thailand has averaged one coup every seven years since 1932.
Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of Thailand's Move Forward party is confident in being able to form a coalition government, following its victory in the election. Despite 36% of Thais voting for the party, there is a risk that the military-appointed Senate could block the administration. Nevertheless, Pita Limjaroenrat has presented the party's path to government as a democratic inevitability to counter conservative opposition from the Senate. The party has managed to form alliances with other parties to secure 313 of the 376 votes needed, and this outcome has been interpreted as Thailand's rejection of the military-backed rule.
A coalition of pro-democracy parties are expected to form a government in Thailand following a coalition led by Pita Limjaroenrat's Move Forward Party victory in Sunday's national election. However, the winning party's candidate is not automatically elected as prime minister, with a vote by the 500-member lower house and the 250 military-appointed representatives of the senate deciding the nation's new leader in July. Move Forward will need 376 votes to win, and Pita has formed an alliance of eight parties, including Pheu Thai, with a combined 313 seats in the lower house, leaving him 63 seats short of a majority.
The Move Forward party, which won Thailand's recent election, is vying for senator’s votes and is confident its coalition will win the prime ministerial vote for its leader, Pita Limjaroenrat. The party's coalition partners hold about 313 votes in the 500-member House of Representatives, but it needs at least 376 lawmakers in a joint sitting of the lower house and the Senate to select the new Prime Minister. The Senate comprises 250 members who have tended to support the pro-military establishment of current Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha. However, while some senators are set to hold informal meetings on May 23 to determine their votes for the new prime minister, there are built-in obstacles to forming a government. Party leaders are urging senators to gain a better understanding of their policies before making decisions. Meanwhile, Move Forward has pledged to amend the law that mandates as many as 15 years in jail for insulting top royals, but its coalition partner Pheu Thai has maintained that the issue should be settled in parliament.
Opposition parties, led by Move Forward, have drafted new objectives for Thailand that would see a new constitution, an end to monopolies, and the approval of same-sex marriage among other things. These objectives, which are being claimed as a draft, were disputed after no mention of a divisive royal insult law was made and reported by Reuters who had the chance to review the pact. A coalition of six other parties is currently nodding this agreement and the full list of proposals is to be publicly released at a later date.
Eight political parties, led by Thailand's Move Forward Party, signed a 23-point agreement on Monday outlining a joint platform to form a coalition government in July. Move Forward captured 152 seats in last week's elections on the promise of change after nine years of conservative rule. However, it sidestepped a contentious issue, amending a law banning criticism of the monarchy, to preserve its agreement. The monarchy enjoys significant national identity support and conservatives oppose any changes to associated laws that can result in 15 years imprisonment. Monday's agreement will require fine-tuning by the eight-party coalition that holds a 313-seat strong majority.
