Pita Limjaroenrat, the unofficial winner of Thailand's election, has vowed to "demilitarize" the country in his first one-on-one interview since Sunday's poll. Limjaroenrat's Move Forward Party is expected to win the largest share of seats and the popular vote, according to unofficial results, far ahead of the party of incumbent Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who led the 2014 coup. Limjaroenrat, a 42-year-old Harvard graduate, said his policy priorities over the next four years will be to "demilitarize, demonopolize and decentralize" Thailand. The election saw opposition parties sweeping the board as voters delivered a powerful rebuke of the military-backed establishment that has ruled the country for nearly a decade.
Move Forward's progressive platform, which included radical plans to amend the country's strict lese majeste laws despite the taboo surrounding any discussion of the royal family in Thailand, gained a huge following among young Thais. The party's proposed structural changes to the military include getting rid of the draft, reducing the budget, making it more transparent and accountable, and reducing the number of generals. Limjaroenrat said the party's success in Sunday's election, in which a record number of Thais voted, showed that these policies resonate not only with the young but across society.
Following the election, the Move Forward leader said he was in talks with other opposition parties to form a coalition and secure enough of a majority in the lower house of parliament to form a government, including the populist Pheu Thai party, which is aligned with the powerful Shinawatra family that had dominated every Thai election since 2001. However, a major roadblock to forming a government is the unelected 250-seat senate, which is chosen entirely by the military and has previously voted for a pro-military candidate.
A party or coalition needs to win a majority in both houses to elect a prime minister and form a government. Limjaroenrat said the unity of the senators is not the same as it was four years ago when they unanimously voted to elect Prayut as prime minister. They must also take into account the "significant shift in public opinion" that has developed since 2019, he said. However, Limjaroenrat acknowledged the risk of subversion and said he is prepared for any scenario. Thailand has witnessed a dozen successful coups since 1932, including two in the past 17 years.