Implications of conservative triumph

The incumbent and conservative Bhumjaithai (BJT) Party has surprisingly swept Thailand's Feb 8 election with a commanding win.

- Thitinan Pongsudhirak

With the previously poll-leading and progressive People's Party (PP) coming in a distant second, Thailand appears headed for a conservative coalition government revolving around BJT and like-minded junior partners. Known for its conservative stance and being pro-status quo, it would not be surprising if the BJT-led coalition government, led by Prime Minister-elect Anutin Charnvirakul, were not challenged by the Constitutional Court, the Election Commission, and other supervisory agencies, which have derailed and dissolved reform-minded winning parties in the past.

BJT's convincing victory is also a major setback to a reform drive that has been in train over the past 26 years, first led by parties under Thaksin Shinawatra and since 2019 by progressive banners behind PP. The majority of Thai voters have opted for stability and a familiar status quo despite flaws and shortcomings over reform and change that may lead to uncertainty and a risky unknown.

Unofficial results indicate BJT has garnered 193 out of 500 members of parliament (MPs), ahead of the reformist People's Party (PP) with 118, followed by the Pheu Thai (PT) Party with 74. Also from the conservative camp and founded by a faction of the pro-military Palang Pracharath Party from the 2019 and 2023 polls, Klatham (KT) Party, led by Thamanat Prompow, has now positioned itself as a solid medium-sized party with 58 MPs, more than twice the Democrat Party (DP) with 22. The rest of the field came up with single digits.