Thailand’s election was ‘heavily tilted’ towards pro-junta Palang Pracharat party, Asian election monitor says
- The party backing junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha has said it is gathering coalition partners to form a government
- The main opposition Pheu Thai party, loyal to ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, has alleged ‘irregularities’
Persistent confusion about results two days after Sunday’s vote have diminished hopes that the first election since a 2014 military coup would end nearly 15 years of political turmoil in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy.
The Bangkok-based Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) stopped short of declaring outright fraud in the election, in which both the pro-junta Palang Pracharat and Pheu Thai, the opposition party linked to former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, have claimed victory.
“The environment at large is heavily tilted to benefit the military junta,” Amaël Vier, an official of the civil society group that seeks to promote democratic elections, told a news briefing. “A lot of people still express distrust towards the electoral process.”
Asked if the election had been free and fair, another ANFREL official declined to comment directly, however.
“So many things have to be considered together,” said its mission head, Rohana Nishanta Hettiarachchie. “It is unfair to conclude that the whole process was free and fair or not.”
Thailand’s Election Commission was not immediately available for comment. It has previously declined to comment on accusations of cheating.
With only partial results reported, the party backing junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha has said it is gathering coalition partners to form a government.