Thai anti-Junta parties claim majority

Bloomberg

Seven political parties opposed to Thailand’s ruling junta said they had the numbers to form a majority coalition following the general election, intensifying a tussle for power with a pro-military bloc.
Sudarat Keyuraphan, a leader of the Pheu Thai party linked to exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, said the coalition would unofficially have 255 seats in the 500-seat lower house. The bloc includes Future Forward, an upstart anti-junta party, and five smaller parties.
“It’s clear that pro-democracy parties have a mandate from the people in this election,” said Sudarat, who the coalition is backing as the next prime minister.
“We hope to see stability and a growing economy in the country,” she said. “Let’s make history together. Let’s bring back democracy.”
Pheu Thai and its allies are racing to cement a majority alliance against the junta’s proxy party Palang Pracharath, which is also seeking to form a government. The power struggle has dimmed Thailand’s economic outlook after almost five years of enforced calm under a military government.
Palang Pracharath responded immediately after the announcement, saying the Election Commission hasn’t released the full results yet
and the party’s lead in the popular vote means the public wants junta leader Prayuth Chan-Ocha to return as prime minister.
“The party is confident that they will be able to gather enough support to form a government for sure,” said Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, the party’s deputy spokesperson.
“There has been continuous negotiations.”
Asked about Pheu Thai’s plans to form a government ahead of the announcement, Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-Ngam said it would have a “psychological impact” but the election results haven’t been determined yet.
Anything could change ahead of a vote for prime minister in the National Assembly, which could take place late May to early June.
The prime minister will be selected in a joint vote of the lower house and a 250-strong junta-appointed Senate that’s expected to back Prayuth.
Members of the anti-junta alliance implored other parties to join them, warning that any government without a firm majority in the lower house would be unstable.
While the Senate gets a vote for PM, it doesn’t have a say in any no-confidence votes — making any leader in a minority government vulnerable.
“The Senate can’t get involved in day-to-day politics, so a minority government won’t work and will be unstable, destroying our economy,” Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, leader of a smaller coalition member called Prachachart, said at the joint briefing.
“If you go ahead with a minority government, our stock market could collapse. Who would want to invest?”