Bhumjaithai Party leads in Thailand general election

With 94 percent of ballots counted, the Bhumjaithai Party, headed by caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, has taken a substantial lead in the Thailand general election as of Monday morning.

At 8:20 am local time, unofficial results from the Election Commission showed that Bhumjaithai was leading the constituency races with 175 seats, followed by the People's Party with 85 and Pheu Thai with 60.

Under Thailand's electoral system, voters cast two ballots: one for a constituency candidate and one for a party-list Member of Parliament. A total of 400 MPs will be elected directly from constituencies on a winner-takes-all basis, while another 100 party-list seats are allocated proportionally based on nationwide votes.

All 500 MPs will vote to select the prime minister. A candidate must secure more than half of the House, or at least 251 votes. Based on the latest unofficial counts, the Bhumjaithai will seek a partner to form a coalition government.

Anutin told the press on late Sunday evening that he is confident of gaining enough seats to form the next government. He added that Bhumjaithai's victory is a victory for all Thais, "whether you voted for the Bhumjaithai Party or not", noting that his party will do the utmost to serve the Thai people to their full ability.

People's Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut said that, while there are still votes to be counted, his party did not look likely to win, the local newspaper Bangkok Post reported. "If Bhumjaithai can form a government then we have to be the opposition," Natthaphong said.

Anutin, born on Sept 13, 1966, in Bangkok, is the eldest son of Chavarat Charnvirakul, former Minister of the Interior under Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's government and founder of Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction.

He gained widespread attention during his tenure as Minister of Public Health during the Covid-19 pandemic. He took over the Bhumjaithai Party from his father in 2014. In September last year, he was elected as Thailand's 32nd prime minister.

After Sunday's election, the Thailand Election Commission will certify at least 95 percent of MPs within 60 days of polling day or by April 9. Parliament must then convene within 15 days to elect its speaker, followed by a vote for prime minister.

The formation of the cabinet typically takes two to four weeks. If procedures and coalition talks proceed smoothly, the nation is expected to have a fully functioning new government by late May or June.

Voters this year were also provided with an extra ballot in a yellow form for the constitutional referendum to decide whether a new constitution should be created or not. As of Monday morning, 60 percent of voters, or around 19.5 million, voted in favor of rewriting the constitution.

yangwanli@chinadaily.com.cn