Thai election sees old order restored as political dynasties weigh on vote

"Bangkok Thailand's swing to more conservative politics in last weekend's election reveals as much about the dynamics of local power brokers as it does the missteps of the main progressive party, which failed to get its message to stick outside of urban centres. Anutin Charnvirakul, the leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, comfortably won Sunday's election, according to an unofficial count by the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT), securing more than 190 of the 500 seats in Thailand's parliament."

"While the ECT has 60 days to verify the results, Anutin is wasting no time. On Tuesday, his attention had already turned to forming a coalition government with himself as prime minister, as his election rivals were left to pick through the ruins of their failed campaigns. The youth-facing reformers in the People's Party had been widely expected to secure the largest number of seats and the biggest share of the vote."

Thailand's recent election produced a conservative swing influenced by local dynastic power centres known as Baan Yai (Big Houses) and by strategic vote shifts. Anutin Charnvirakul of the Bhumjaithai Party won more than 190 of 500 parliamentary seats in an unofficial ECT count and moved quickly to assemble a coalition with himself as prime minister. The People's Party won just 118 seats, falling short of expectations and losing ground compared with 2023. The decline suggests limited traction for calls for structural reform outside urban areas. Allegations of vote-buying and polling irregularities emerged, though leaders said they would not alter the overall result.

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