Thailand election: conservatives storm to victory, led by Bhumjaithai Party’s Anutin
The Bhumjaithai Party is forecast to win nearly 200 seats as People’s Party concedes election
Thailand’s conservative Bhumjaithai Party won Sunday’s election as its stability message cut through with the electorate, while the reformist People’s Party failed to convince voters it had the remedy to years of economic drift and political turbulence.
Caretaker prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s Bhumjaithai was forecast to win nearly 200 seats by Channel 3 on the basis of results from the parties. The progressive People’s Party trailed far behind, just above 100 seats, ahead of jailed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s Pheu Thai party in third.
“We are likely to take first place in the election,” Anutin later told reporters at his party headquarters in Bangkok.
“The victory today belongs to all Thais, no matter whether you voted for us or not.”
People’s Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut earlier conceded his party had lost the election, a gut punch to its young supporters who have clamoured behind its call for root-and-branch change for Thailand.
”We accept the election results, our party did not come in first place,” he told reporters, appealing to the party’s supporters to not “stop hoping … stay engaged in politics and help keep [power] accountable together”.