The Thai Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday verified a list of 149 winning party-list MPs, with a total of 27 political parties entering the House of Representatives of the National Assembly, after the March 24 elections.

Following announcement of 349 verified constituency-based MPs on Tuesday, the EC publicized the 149 verified party-list MPs in a statement, adding it up to 498 with just two short of a total of 500 legislators in the lower house of parliament.

The EC was legally required to verify a minimum of 95 percent of the total MPs.

Given the polling agency's counting formula in accordance with the constitution and the organic law, 27 contestant parties have won party-list MPs, including the Future Forward Party which has won 50 party-list MPs, the most among all parties contesting in proportional party-list mode, followed by the Democrat Party with 19 party-list MPs.

The Palang Pracharath (power of people's state) Party gained 18 seats, while the Bhumjaithai (proud Thais) Party garnered 12 seats, followed by the Thai Liberal Party with 10, the New Economics Party six, the Pheu Chart (for country) Party five and the Chart Thai Pattana Party four and the Action Coalition for Thailand Party four.

The opposition Pheu Thai (for Thais) Party, according to the counting formula, won no seat in the allocation of party-list MPs.

Thirteen splinter parties have been given one party-list MP each although they have won less than the threshold 71,000 votes in the elections.

That number derives from some 35.53 million votes, which were totally cast by eligible voters and divided by 500 seats in the House of Representatives.

Combined with the lists of MPs released on Tuesday and Wednesday, Pheu Thai Party won 136 seats, followed by Palang Pracharath's 115 seats, Future Forward's 80, Democrat's 52 and Bhumjaithai's 51.

Pro-government Palang Pracharath party said that they would lead to form a coalition government while Pheu Thai Party criticized the formula applied by the EC as unconstitutional.

According to the results, the opposition Pheu Thai and its confirmed allies including the third biggest party Future Forward, obtained 245 seats, less than half of the total in the 500-seat lower house.

The first meeting of the lower house will be held soon, after which a new prime minister will be chosen by these MPs together with 250 senators selected by the ruling National Council for Peace and Order led by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who is also Palang Pracharath's candidate for the new premier. 

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)