Thailand's conservative party, led by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, won a significant victory in the recent general election, securing almost three times the number of seats compared to the last election.
The conservative party, Palang Pracharat, led by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, achieved a remarkable victory in Thailand's general election held on the 8th. According to preliminary results based on 94% of the vote count provided by the Election Commission, Palang Pracharat secured 193 out of the 500 seats in the House of Representatives. This result is nearly three times the number of seats they won in the 2023 election. The reformist opposition party, the Thai National Party, captured 118 seats while the former major party, Pheu Thai, garnered 74 seats. The remaining smaller parties are expected to share the remaining 115 seats.
In a press conference following the election, Prime Minister Anutin stated that the victory of the Palang Pracharat reflects a win for all Thai citizens, regardless of whether they voted for the party. This election could be seen as a strategic move following increased nationalism due to a border dispute with Cambodia that escalated in December last year. Anutin dissolved the parliament to call for early elections after inheriting the premiership from Pheu Thai's former Prime Minister, Prayuth Chan-o-cha, who was ousted in September last year.
Experts suggest that Anutin's early election was likely aimed at harnessing the heightened nationalist sentiments following the border dispute with Cambodia, combining this with a strategy of absorbing politicians from rival parties in rural areas to maintain vote consolidation. Matthijs Rohatepanont, an independent political analyst, remarked that such a scale of victory was unexpected, indicating that the nationalistic political environment and the ability to rally conservative voters worked favorably for the Palang Pracharat party. Consequently, voters opted for a conservative party backed by the monarchy and military rather than embracing a reformist agenda focused on democratic ideals, positioning Palang Pracharat as a 'sole option for stability' amid Thailand's tumultuous political history marked by military coups and constitutional upheaval.
