Thailand’s opposition secured a remarkable electoral victory on Sunday, defeating parties allied with the military to pave the way for negotiations in forming a government.
The liberal Move Forward Party and the populist Pheu Thai Party were far ahead with 99 percent of votes counted. It is yet unclear which of the two will form the next government due to parliamentary rules implemented by the military after their 2014 coup, which gave them an upper hand. The election result was a long anticipated showdown between the Pheu Thai Party owned by billionaire family Shinawatra and an combination of old money, conservatives and the military holding power over key institutions for about two decades.
Still, support from young voters saw ‘Move Forward’ take the lead in this election, and they are close to securing a clean sweep of the capital Bangkok on the basis of institutional reform and monopoly dismantling.
