AFP
Thailand’s election body said Wednesday it had certified all but one of the 500 parliamentary seats won in last month’s vote, setting the stage for the victorious conservative party to lead the next government.
The Bhumjaithai party of caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul won 191 seats in total, the most of any party, according to the ratified results, confirming its win in the February 8 vote.
The Election Commission endorsed all 100 party-list MPs in the 500-seat lower house on Wednesday, and has now confirmed 399 lawmakers elected by constituency — leaving one seat left to be ratified.
The seat in central Thailand has yet to be certified while the commission investigates potential voting fraud following concerns about the transparency of the tallying process.
With more than 95 percent of MPs now ratified, parliament can next convene to elect a house speaker and prime minister.
Bhumjaithai secured 19 seats for its party-ranked candidates and 172 more constituency seats, according to the commission.
The pro-military and pro-monarchy party had its best electoral performance ever, riding a wave of nationalism to win the poll following deadly border clashes with Cambodia last year.
Even with the largest seat share, Bhumjaithai failed to win an outright majority, forcing it to form a coalition.
It and third-placed Pheu Thai have agreed to ally, alongside several small parties.
Pheu Thai, the populist party of jailed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, won 74 seats, according to the official results.
The reformist People’s Party — which had been polling first ahead of the election — came in second, with 120 seats.
The party’s leaders have said they will join the opposition.
Last week, the commission certified 396 constituency MPs, and on Wednesday ratified the results in three additional constituencies, two of which went to Bhumjaithai.
It also confirmed the majority of voters’ desire to amend a military-drafted constitution in a referendum held alongside the general election.
Nearly 60 percent of voters supported amending the constitution in principle, albeit with no specific measures on the table, while around 30 percent opposed it.
Anutin’s conservative Bhumjaithai will be in a position to guide the reform process, making radical change less likely.
AFP
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