The current Prime Minister of Thailand, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has remained relatively silent since his administration was rejected in the recent election, however, during a cabinet meeting this past week, he expressed gratitude to all voters and congratulated all parties that received votes in the election. Prayut’s United Thai Nation Party only secured 36 seats, facing defeat from progressive opposition parties. Acknowledging the transition and government formation, Prayut emphasized his position as the current PM and stated that he will remain in charge until a new government is established. This marks the end of nearly a decade of governance as the Move Forward and Pheu Thai parties achieved a significant victory over the current administration. As mentioned in the first story in this week’s edition, the path to the prime ministerial position for Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat will likely face obstacles as any coalition seeking to govern will require the support of the military-appointed Senate, which traditionally favours conservative, army-backed candidates in the election of the new prime minister.

Our Take

Like I mentioned above, it will be VERY interesting to see how the next few months play out. I think for the most part, it’s just the waiting game right now to see what goes down. Will enough of the appointed senators vote Pita Limjaroenrat in as PM? What happens if they don’t have enough votes? What will be the public’s reaction if that happens? Only time will tell.