50-party race comes down to just this

THINK PRAGMATIC

- Veera Prateepchaikul

An official holds up votes in the general election as they are counted at a polling station in Bangkok.

(PHOTO BY CANDIDA NG / AFP)

By the time this opinion piece goes into print, the unofficial outcome of Sunday’s election will already have been announced by the Election Commission. Which of the two front-running parties, Bhumjaithai and the People’s Party, has emerged the winner and earned the right to form the new government will also be known.

More than 50 parties fielded candidates in the election. In reality, however, it was essentially a two-horse race between Bhum-jaithai and the People’s Party. Three other parties — Pheu Thai, the Democrats and Kla Tham — are likely to become key players, or even kingmakers, enabling either of the two front-runners to muster more than 250 House seats and form a coalition government.

Neither Bhumjaithai nor the People’s Party was expected to win more than 250 seats, both constituency and party-list, which would be required to form a single-party administration. This has been the pattern in several previous elections.

Ideally, Bhumjaithai and the People’s Party could partner to form a two-party coalition, as both are forecast to gain more than half of the 500 seats in the House (the total comprises 400 constituency and 100 party-list seats).