Opposition parties surge ahead in Thailand elections as count continues

BBC reported that Thai voters have rejected the military-backed government as two opposition parties appear to be set for coalition talks.

Initial results show the Move Forward and Pheu Thai parties surging ahead of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.

The election has been described as a turning point for Thailand which has experienced military coups in its recent years. Prayuth led the last coup in 2014 and sought another term in office. But he has faced strong election challenges from Move Forward and Pheu Thai which are two anti-military parties.

Move Forward is led by former tech executive Pita Limjaroenrat, while Paetongtarn Shinawatra – the daughter of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra – is the Pheu Thai candidate.

With 97% of the vote counted, a calculation by Reuters news agency based on data from the Election Commission suggested Move Forward would win the most seats followed by Pheu Thai in second place.