• Burmese
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
27 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Asia

Thais Reject Army-Backed Government; Opposition to Open Coalition Talks

AFP by AFP
May 15, 2023
in Asia
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
Thais Reject Army-Backed Government; Opposition to Open Coalition Talks

Move Forward Party leader and prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat (center) leaves the party’s headquarters in Bangkok on May 14

3.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

BANGKOK—Thai voters have delivered a clear rejection of nearly a decade of military-backed government, election results showed Monday, backing two major pro-democracy opposition parties who are now expected to open coalition talks.

The progressive Move Forward Party (MFP), which wants to reform Thailand’s strict royal insult laws, looks on course to be the biggest party, setting up a potential clash with the kingdom’s powerful royalist-military elite.

Thais voted in large numbers after an election campaign pitting a young generation yearning for change against the conservative elite embodied by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha, the ex-army chief who seized power in a 2014 coup.

RelatedPosts

Drafting Voters as Cannon-Fodder; Rewarding Lackey Ladies; and More

Drafting Voters as Cannon-Fodder; Rewarding Lackey Ladies; and More

July 5, 2025
964
Myanmar, Thailand Ramp Up Cooperation on Border Issues

Myanmar, Thailand Ramp Up Cooperation on Border Issues

July 4, 2025
1.5k
Thailand’s PM Suspended by Constitutional Court

Thailand’s PM Suspended by Constitutional Court

July 1, 2025
434

But in a kingdom where coups and court orders have often trumped the ballot box, there are fears that the result may yet be thwarted, raising the prospect of fresh instability.

With ballots counted from 97 percent of polling stations, Election Commission data showed MFP on 13.5 million in the popular vote followed by Pheu Thai on 10.3 million with Prayut’s United Thai Nation party third on 4.5 million.

The result is a striking achievement for the MFP, an upstart party that channeled the energy of radical youth-led pro-democracy street protests that shook Bangkok in 2020.

The party’s leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, 42, declared it had “closed the door” on any chance of army-backed parties forming a minority government.

MFP will seek talks with Pheu Thai and a coalition deal is “definitely on the cards”, Pita told reporters.

Pheu Thai leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra congratulated MFP on their success and said “we can work together”.

“We are ready to talk to Move Forward, but we are waiting for the official result,” she said.

The Election Commission is not expected to officially confirm the final number of seats won by each party for several weeks.

But early Monday it forecast MFP to win 113 out of a total of 400 constituency seats, just ahead of Pheu Thai on 112. A further 100 seats will be allocated to parties on a proportional basis.

The result is a heavy blow for Pheu Thai, the latest iteration of the political movement founded by Paetongtarn’s father, billionaire former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Before this, Thaksin-linked parties had won most seats at every election since 2001 and Paetongtarn had urged voters to deliver them a landslide to see off the threat of military interference.

Despite their success, MFP and Pheu Thai may still face a battle to secure power thanks to the junta-scripted 2017 constitution.

The new premier will be chosen jointly by the 500 elected MPs and 250 senate members appointed by Prayut’s junta—stacking the deck in the army’s favor.

Adding to the uncertainty, rumors are already swirling that MFP could be dissolved by court order—the same fate that befell its predecessor, the Future Forward Party, after it performed unexpectedly well at the 2019 poll.

Protest legacy

This election was the first since the major street protests that erupted in 2020 with demands to curb the power and spending of Thailand’s king, breaching a long-held taboo on questioning the monarchy.

The demonstrations petered out as COVID-19 curbs were imposed and dozens of leaders were arrested, but their energy fueled growing support for the more radical opposition MFP.

“Younger generations these days care about their rights and they will come out to vote,” Pita told reporters as he arrived to vote on Sunday.

While MFP sought support from millennial and Gen Z voters, who make up nearly half the 52 million-strong electorate, Pheu Thai drew on its traditional base in the rural northeast where voters are still grateful for the welfare policies implemented by Thaksin in the early 2000s.

As results came in, a glum-looking Prayut thanked voters for their support as he left his party HQ.

“I’ll continue to do my best regardless of the result,” he told reporters.

The former general made an unashamedly nationalist pitch to older voters, painting himself as the only candidate capable of saving Thailand from chaos and ruin.

But he was blamed for a sputtering economy and feeble recovery from the pandemic, which battered the kingdom’s crucial tourism industry.

Rights groups accused Prayut of overseeing a major crackdown on basic freedoms, with a huge spike in prosecutions under Thailand’s draconian royal defamation laws.

The country has seen a dozen coups in the last century and has been locked over the last two decades in a rolling cycle of street protests, coups and court orders dissolving political parties.

It remains to be seen whether the powerful royalist-military elite will find an accommodation with the radical MFP.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: ElectionMFPMilitaryPheu ThairejectThailandvoters
AFP

AFP

News Agency

Similar Picks:

Myanmar Junta Arrests Thai Condo Buyers, Realtors as Currency Crashes
Business

Myanmar Junta Arrests Thai Condo Buyers, Realtors as Currency Crashes

by The Irrawaddy
June 4, 2024
27.7k

Monday’s arrests follow reports that Myanmar has become one of Thailand’s most lucrative markets for selling condos since the 2021...

Read moreDetails
AA Urges Myanmar Junta Troops to Surrender as Western Command Burns
War Against the Junta

AA Urges Myanmar Junta Troops to Surrender as Western Command Burns

by The Irrawaddy
December 18, 2024
25.4k

Ethnic army reportedly poised to capture regime’s last stronghold in Rakhine State.

Read moreDetails
Myanmar General in Charge of Shan State Disaster Handed Surprise Promotion
Burma

Myanmar General in Charge of Shan State Disaster Handed Surprise Promotion

by The Irrawaddy
February 5, 2024
24.5k

Naing Naing Oo elevated to Lieutenant-General and made chief of powerful Bureau of Special Operations No. 2, in a reshuffle...

Read moreDetails
Reluctant Exiles: Another ‘Life or Death’ Exodus From Myanmar
Stories That Shaped Us

Reluctant Exiles: Another ‘Life or Death’ Exodus From Myanmar

by Brian Wei
April 8, 2024
22.1k

The latest exodus of reluctant exiles from Myanmar comprises young people forced to leave everything behind to escape becoming frontline...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar’s Chief of Eastern Command Purged After Karenni Defeats
Burma

Myanmar’s Chief of Eastern Command Purged After Karenni Defeats

by The Irrawaddy
January 12, 2024
20.1k

Major-General Hla Moe is reportedly the latest junta commander to pay the price for sweeping gains made by resistance forces. 

Read moreDetails
Five-Star Casino Resort on Myanmar Tropical Island Runs Out of Luck
Burma

Five-Star Casino Resort on Myanmar Tropical Island Runs Out of Luck

by The Irrawaddy
February 6, 2024
19.3k

U Kyaw Lwin ran his casino resort on the visa-free island for more than 10 years before facing arrest in...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Cyclone Mocha Leaves Parts of Myanmar’s Ancient City Bagan Flooded

Cyclone Mocha Leaves Parts of Myanmar’s Ancient City Bagan Flooded

Alleged Myanmar Migrant Rape Victim Demands Justice in Thailand

Alleged Myanmar Migrant Rape Victim Demands Justice in Thailand

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

37 Years and Counting: Why Has Myanmar’s Democracy Struggle Taken So Long?

37 Years and Counting: Why Has Myanmar’s Democracy Struggle Taken So Long?

6 days ago
1.2k
Myanmar Junta Blacklists 200 Firms for Dodging Hard Currency Grab

Myanmar Junta Blacklists 200 Firms for Dodging Hard Currency Grab

6 days ago
1.3k

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta Starves Last Rakhine Strongholds as AA Closes In

    Myanmar Junta Starves Last Rakhine Strongholds as AA Closes In

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Chin Resistance Tensions Boil Over as CNA Seizes Rival’s Myanmar HQ

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Timor-Leste Hits Back at Myanmar Junta’s Objection to ASEAN Membership

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • TNLA Defies Myanmar Junta Push to Cede Shan Towns in China Talks  

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar People Skeptical of Junta’s Promises of Election, Peace

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.