Thai Opposition Parties Win Over Military-backed Candidates
2023-05-16
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1Thailand's two main opposition parties won big in the general election and have agreed to seek a ruling coalition to replace the current military-backed government.
2The Move Forward Party is led by 42-year-old businessman Pita Limjaroenrat.
3It placed first in the Sunday voting.
4In second place was the Pheu Thai party, which had been favored to win.
5Pheu Thai is led by Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
6Thaksin was ousted by a military coup in 2006.
7He has lived in exile since being removed from power.
8But he remains the main driving force behind the Pheu Thai party.
9Election results showed the Move Forward and Pheu Thai parties won a majority of seats in the House of Representatives.
10The two parties are mostly allied in their opposition to the military's past interference in politics.
11There have been numerous coups since 1932, the year Thailand became a constitutional monarchy.
12Both opposition parties also favor reforms of some parts of the monarchy.
13Pita said Monday he had been speaking with a total of five parties in an effort to form a coalition government.
14The prime minister is elected by a joint session of parliament.
15That vote includes 500 members of the newly elected House and 250 senators.
16Pita's proposed alliance would have 309 House seats.
17But that falls short of the 376 votes needed to ensure he is elected prime minister.
18Parliament chooses a new prime minister in July, so negotiators will have about two months to reach an agreement.
19The 250-seat Senate has been supportive of the country's military and courts.
20Its members voted unanimously in 2019 to elect current Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.
21Prayuth, a former army commander, first came to power in a 2014 coup.
22The 2019 Senate vote enabled him to return as prime minister even though Pheu Thai candidates finished first in that election.
23Prayuth ran for reelection on Sunday.
24But he has not enjoyed wide support because many people blamed him for continuing national problems.
25These included weak economic policies, mistakes dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and blocks of democratic reforms.
26Pita was asked by reporters about how a future vote could go in the Senate.
27He said all sides must respect the election results and there was no use trying to change the established parliamentary process.
28"I am not worried, but I am not careless," Pita said.
29Move Forward's supporters drove through the streets of Bangkok Monday to celebrate their victory.
30Pita smiled and waved to supporters as vehicles carried him and other party members through the streets of the old part of the capital.
31Pita said, "Today it's a new day, and hopefully it's full of bright sunshine of hope going forward."
32Earlier, as it became clear his party was taking the lead, he tweeted that he is prepared to bring about change as the country's 30th prime minister.
33"Whether you agree or disagree with me, I will be your prime minister. Whether you have voted for me or not, I will serve you," Pita said.
34I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Thailand's two main opposition parties won big in the general election and have agreed to seek a ruling coalition to replace the current military-backed government. 2The Move Forward Party is led by 42-year-old businessman Pita Limjaroenrat. It placed first in the Sunday voting. In second place was the Pheu Thai party, which had been favored to win. 3Pheu Thai is led by Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin was ousted by a military coup in 2006. He has lived in exile since being removed from power. But he remains the main driving force behind the Pheu Thai party. 4Election results showed the Move Forward and Pheu Thai parties won a majority of seats in the House of Representatives. 5The two parties are mostly allied in their opposition to the military's past interference in politics. There have been numerous coups since 1932, the year Thailand became a constitutional monarchy. Both opposition parties also favor reforms of some parts of the monarchy. 6Pita said Monday he had been speaking with a total of five parties in an effort to form a coalition government. The prime minister is elected by a joint session of parliament. That vote includes 500 members of the newly elected House and 250 senators. 7Pita's proposed alliance would have 309 House seats. But that falls short of the 376 votes needed to ensure he is elected prime minister. Parliament chooses a new prime minister in July, so negotiators will have about two months to reach an agreement. 8The 250-seat Senate has been supportive of the country's military and courts. Its members voted unanimously in 2019 to elect current Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. Prayuth, a former army commander, first came to power in a 2014 coup. The 2019 Senate vote enabled him to return as prime minister even though Pheu Thai candidates finished first in that election. 9Prayuth ran for reelection on Sunday. But he has not enjoyed wide support because many people blamed him for continuing national problems. These included weak economic policies, mistakes dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and blocks of democratic reforms. 10Pita was asked by reporters about how a future vote could go in the Senate. He said all sides must respect the election results and there was no use trying to change the established parliamentary process. "I am not worried, but I am not careless," Pita said. 11Move Forward's supporters drove through the streets of Bangkok Monday to celebrate their victory. Pita smiled and waved to supporters as vehicles carried him and other party members through the streets of the old part of the capital. 12Pita said, "Today it's a new day, and hopefully it's full of bright sunshine of hope going forward." 13Earlier, as it became clear his party was taking the lead, he tweeted that he is prepared to bring about change as the country's 30th prime minister. "Whether you agree or disagree with me, I will be your prime minister. Whether you have voted for me or not, I will serve you," Pita said. 14I'm Bryan Lynn. 15The Associated Press and Reuters reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. 16________________________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18monarchy - n. a system in which a country is ruled by a king or queen 19unanimous - adj. agreed by everyone 20careless - adj. not giving enough attention to what you are doing 21____________________________________________________________________ 22What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 23Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.