Military coalition poised to be dislodged, says Thai opposition

BANGKOK – Thailand’s pro-democracy opposition parties have the momentum to dislodge a coalition of conservative parties headed by incumbent Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, according to Mr Pita Limjaroenrat, whose liberal Move Forward Party (MFP) has seen a late surge in support ahead of Sunday’s vote.

If an alliance of opposition parties wins more than half of the 500 seats in the House of Representatives, it will be able to get its nominee elected as the prime minister, Mr Pita said in an interview on the sidelines of a campaign meeting in Bangkok on Saturday.

Mr Pita’s comments signalled his confidence that the 250-member Senate – made up of military appointees – will not try to swing the election of the next prime minister towards a more conservative candidate.   

The members of the Senate will have a “high price to pay” if they go against the popular mandate, the 42-year-old said. The next prime minister “should be from the people, by the people and for the people”.

Thailand is holding its second election after Mr Prayut led a military coup in 2014 to oust an elected government. The vote is billed as

a duel between the liberal opposition and the pro-royalist and military-backed coalition

that has ruled South-east Asia’s second-largest economy for almost a decade. 

The opposition parties, led by Pheu Thai, are competing on a similar slate of promises such as cash handouts, wage hikes and a suspension of debt repayments for farmers and other individuals. The opposition appears to be on course to sweep the election, according to several surveys taken before voting commenced. 

Mr Pita’s MFP has

pledged to push for more radical changes

that include ending conscription and passing amendments to a law that punishes any criticism of Thailand’s royal family. It also wants to rewrite the Constitution to curb the role of the military-appointed Senate.

Thai election officials expect a record 80 per cent turnout from the more than 50 million eligible voters who will elect 500 members to the Lower House in a two-ballot system. One hundred seats will be allocated based on the proportion of votes that each party receives.

MFP expects to meet its target of winning at least 100 seats, and it expects to perform especially well in the party-list seats, Mr Pita said.

Less than a day before polling booths opened, he said the party is focused on wooing voters in some swing constituencies where the outcome may go either way. BLOOMBERG