Thai democrats in coalition to stop military power grab

SEVEN Thai pro-democracy parties yesterday declared they had won enough seats in Sunday’s election to form a majority government to replace the ruling military junta.

The final results of the first poll since a military coup in 2014 have not yet been released in an election campaign marred by accusations of irregularities.

But Sudarat Keyuraphan, the leader of Pheu Thai, the party that headed the last elected government and which is aligned to Thaksin Shinawatra, the exiled former prime minister, said a coalition with six other parties would push the alliance past the 250-seat threshold.

“Parties on the side of democracy have received majority support from the people,” she said. According to partial results released by the Election Commission in Thailand, Pheu Thai had most seats in the House of Representatives with 137 out of 500, compared with 97 for the pro-military Phalang Pracharat, headed by Gen Prayuth Chan-o-cha, who led the coup.

Results have only been declared for 350 of the seats, leaving the outcome in doubt. Official results will not be available until May 9, said the commission, blaming “human error” for the delays.

Alleging “irregularities”, Pheu Thai said it would consider legal challenges over the handling of the election. The Bangkok-based Asian Network for Free Elections announced the election appeared to have been “heavily tilted” toward the army’s interests. A pro-military senate vote could be sufficient to keep Gen Prayuth as prime minister.