Opposition in early election lead

A preliminary vote count in Thailand's election yesterday indicated an early lead for the country's progressive opposition, trailed by ruling coalition parties backed by the military and establishment.

The Pheu Thai Party was ahead with 6.45 percent of eligible votes counted by 1500 GMT, followed by another opposition party, Move Forward, according to the election commission's preliminary count.

The election pits a progressive opposition against parties backed by a nexus of old money, conservatives and generals at the heart of two decades of upheaval in Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy.

An opposition win would bring no guarantees that either party would govern, however, even as an alliance, because of parliamentary rules written by the military after its 2014 coup that are skewed in its favour.

Electing a prime minister and forming a government requires the backing of a majority of the lower and upper houses combined.

The Senate was appointed by the former junta and is expected to vote in favour of parties or blocs allied with the military.

The election follows 9 years of government led or backed by a military that staged two coups in the space of 8 years against governments controlled by billionaire Shinawatra family, Pheu Thai's driving force. 

The election is the first since major youth-led pro-democracy protests erupted across Bangkok in 2020 with demands to curb the power and spending of Thailand's king -- breaching a long-held taboo on questioning the monarchy.