‘Our victory is a victory of all people’: Thai PM Anutin’s Bhumjaithai Party takes big lead in election
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[BANGKOK] Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul declared victory in the Thai elections, after preliminary results showed that his pro-royalist Bhumjaithai Party was far ahead in Sunday’s (Feb 8) general election, leading a three-way race with a commanding margin that could make it easier to form a coalition and reduce the risk of further political instability.
According to projections by the election commission, Bhumjaithai had won 177 constituency seats, followed by People’s Party with 81, Pheu Thai Party with 62, the Kla Tham Party with 56 and the Democratic Party with nine.
“We are likely to take first place in the election,” Anutin told reporters at his party headquarters in Bangkok. “The victory today belongs to all Thais, no matter whether you voted for us or not.”
“Our victory is a victory of all people,” he said.
People’s Party leader Natthaphong Rueangpanyawut said that while votes remained to be counted, his party did not look likely to win.
His party would not join a Bhumjaithai-led government, but would also not form a competing coalition, he said.
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“If Bhumjaithai can form a government, then we have to be the opposition,” Natthaphong told a press conference.
Anutin set the stage for the snap election in mid-December during a border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, a move political analysts said appeared to be timed by the conservative leader to cash in on surging nationalism.
At that point, he had been in power for less than 100 days, taking over after the ouster of premier Paetongtarn Shinawatra of the populist Pheu Thai Party over the Cambodian crisis.
Anutin said he accepted the trust the people had placed in his party and promised to serve all Thai people. REUTERS, BLOOMBERG
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