Thai Election Body Certifies Most Parliamentary Seats, Affirming Bhumjaithai Victory |
ASEAN Beat | Politics | Southeast Asia
Thai Election Body Certifies Most Parliamentary Seats, Affirming Bhumjaithai Victory
With the remaining seats likely to be confirmed next week, a new coalition government is expected to be formed in the coming weeks.
Thailand’s main poll body has certified nearly 400 parliamentary seats won in this month’s general election, confirming the decisive victory of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s Bhumjaithai party and moving the country a further step toward the formation of a new government.
The Election Commission announced yesterday that it had confirmed the results of 396 of the 400 constituency seats in the House of Representatives. Of these, Bhumjaithai won 170 seats, followed by the People’s Party, which won 88 seats, and the Pheu Thai Party, which won 58.
The remaining four constituencies are waiting for recounts before their MPs can be certified, a process that is expected to be completed over the weekend,” according to the Bangkok Post. The remaining 100 seats in the 500-seat House, which are elected on a nationwide basis via party lists, are expected to be certified next week.
The endorsement comes despite a number of complaints and challenges to the result of the February 8 election. VOTE62, an independent election watchdog, said that it recorded more than 5,000 complaints nationwide on the election. According to the Thai Enquirer, the most common problems “involved incorrect vote counting and aggregation, cases where the number of ballots exceeded the number of voters, polling officials failing to require voter signatures, refusals to conduct recounts after discrepancies were raised, and restrictions on election observation.”
There have also been complaints about the use of barcodes and QR codes on ballots, which some claim could breach constitutional requirements for secret voting.
Shortly after the polls, the People’s Party announced that it had filed requests for recounts in 18 constituencies in Chonburi, Maha Sarakham, Khon Kaen, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Suphan Buri. It said that in these constituencies there was “clear evidence of irregularities during the tallying process.”
The EC’s certification of the constituency votes removes one of the final obstacles to the formation of a government. As Reuters noted, the new parliament must convene within 15 days of the certification of at least 475 seats, 95 percent of the total, after which the chamber will elect a prime minister to form a government.
Bhumjaithai and Pheu Thai have already agreed to form a coalition, although they are still negotiating the possible involvement of other smaller parties, including the Kla Tham party, which came in fourth on February 8.
In the meantime, the new cabinet is beginning to take shape. According to Thai media reports, Bhumjaithai has allocated itself 19 cabinet seats spanning 14 ministries, including the ministries of interior, finance, commerce, foreign affairs, tourism, and industry. In addition to serving as prime minister, Anutin will hold the position of interior minister.
Pheu Thai is likely to receive eight cabinet positions, including the ministries of agriculture, education, and labor, while the remaining three positions are expected to go to the military-backed Palang Pracharath Party, which is in talks to join the coalition, and smaller coalition parties.
According to the Bangkok Post, the important Ministry of Defense remains under consideration, with speculation that an “outside” candidate could be appointed to strike a political balance and “reassure coalition partners.”
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Thailand’s main poll body has certified nearly 400 parliamentary seats won in this month’s general election, confirming the decisive victory of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s Bhumjaithai party and moving the country a further step toward the formation of a new government.
The Election Commission announced yesterday that it had confirmed the results of 396 of the 400 constituency seats in the House of Representatives. Of these, Bhumjaithai won 170 seats, followed by the People’s Party, which won 88 seats, and the Pheu Thai Party, which won 58.
The remaining four constituencies are waiting for recounts before their MPs can be certified, a process that is expected to be completed over the weekend,” according to the Bangkok Post. The remaining 100 seats in the 500-seat House, which are elected on a nationwide basis via party lists, are expected to be certified next week.
The endorsement comes despite a number of complaints and challenges to the result of the February 8 election. VOTE62, an independent election watchdog, said that it recorded more than 5,000 complaints nationwide on the election. According to the Thai Enquirer, the most common problems “involved incorrect vote counting and aggregation, cases where the number of ballots exceeded the number of voters, polling officials failing to require voter signatures, refusals to conduct recounts after discrepancies were raised, and restrictions on election observation.”
There have also been complaints about the use of barcodes and QR codes on ballots, which some claim could breach constitutional requirements for secret voting.
Shortly after the polls, the People’s Party announced that it had filed requests for recounts in 18 constituencies in Chonburi, Maha Sarakham, Khon Kaen, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Suphan Buri. It said that in these constituencies there was “clear evidence of irregularities during the tallying process.”
The EC’s certification of the constituency votes removes one of the final obstacles to the formation of a government. As Reuters noted, the new parliament must convene within 15 days of the certification of at least 475 seats, 95 percent of the total, after which the chamber will elect a prime minister to form a government.
Bhumjaithai and Pheu Thai have already agreed to form a coalition, although they are still negotiating the possible involvement of other smaller parties, including the Kla Tham party, which came in fourth on February 8.
In the meantime, the new cabinet is beginning to take shape. According to Thai media reports, Bhumjaithai has allocated itself 19 cabinet seats spanning 14 ministries, including the ministries of interior, finance, commerce, foreign affairs, tourism, and industry. In addition to serving as prime minister, Anutin will hold the position of interior minister.
Pheu Thai is likely to receive eight cabinet positions, including the ministries of agriculture, education, and labor, while the remaining three positions are expected to go to the military-backed Palang Pracharath Party, which is in talks to join the coalition, and smaller coalition parties.
According to the Bangkok Post, the important Ministry of Defense remains under consideration, with speculation that an “outside” candidate could be appointed to strike a political balance and “reassure coalition partners.”
Sebastian Strangio is Southeast Asia editor at The Diplomat.
People's Party (Thailand)
Thailand 2026 election
Thailand Election Commission