BANGKOK, Aug 2 Thailand’s election-winning Move Forward Party is no longer part of an eight-party coalition hoping to form the next government after a May general election,.
Thailand’s main opposition parties have easily bested other contenders with virtually all the votes counted from Sunday’s general election. Their victory fulfilled many voters’ hopes that the balloting would serve as an opportunity for change nine years after incumbent Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha first came to power in a 2014 coup. The junior opposition Move Forward Party eked out a victory over the favored Pheu Thai Party for the 500-member House of Representatives, Prayuth's party trailed far behind. He had been blamed for a stuttering economy, shortcomings in addressing the pandemic and thwarting democratic reforms, a particular sore point with younger voters. A joint session of both houses of Parliament selects the new prime minister in July.