Thai Opposition Parties Win Over Military-backed Candidates

Thai Opposition¹ Parties Win Over Military-backed Candidates

Thailand's two main opposition parties won big in the general election and have agreed to seek a ruling coalition² to replace the current military-backed government.

The Move Forward Party is led by 42-year-old businessman Pita Limjaroenrat. It placed first in the Sunday voting. In second place was the Pheu Thai party, which had been favored to win.

Pheu Thai is led by Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin was ousted³ by a military coup⁴ in 2006. He has lived in exile since being removed from power. But he remains⁵ the main driving force behind the Pheu Thai party.

Election results showed the Move Forward and Pheu Thai parties won a majority of seats in the House of Representatives.

The two parties are mostly allied⁶ in their opposition to the military's past interference in politics. There have been numerous coups⁷ since 1932, the year Thailand became a constitutional monarchy⁸. Both opposition parties also favor reforms of some parts of the monarchy.

Pita said Monday he had been speaking with a total of five parties in an effort to form a coalition government. The prime minister is elected by a joint⁹ session of parliament. That vote includes 500 members of the newly elected House and 250 senators.

Pita's proposed alliance would have 309 House seats. But that falls short of the 376 votes needed to ensure he is elected prime minister. Parliament chooses a new prime minister in July, so negotiators will have about two months to reach an agreement.

The 250-seat Senate has been supportive of the country's military and courts. Its members voted unanimously in 2019 to elect current Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. Prayuth, a former army commander, first came to power in a 2014 coup. The 2019 Senate vote enabled him to return as prime minister even though Pheu Thai candidates finished first in that election.

Prayuth ran for reelection on Sunday. But he has not enjoyed wide support because many people blamed him for continuing national problems. These included weak economic policies, mistakes dealing¹⁰ with the COVID-19 pandemic and blocks of democratic reforms.

Pita was asked by reporters about how a future vote could go in the Senate. He said all sides must respect the election results and there was no use trying to change the established parliamentary process. "I am not worried, but I am not careless," Pita said.

Move Forward's supporters drove through the streets of Bangkok Monday to celebrate their victory. Pita smiled and waved to supporters as vehicles carried him and other party members through the streets of the old part of the capital.

Pita said, "Today it's a new day, and hopefully it's full of bright sunshine of hope going forward."

Earlier, as it became clear his party was taking the lead, he tweeted that he is prepared to bring about change as the country's 30th prime minister. "Whether you agree or disagree with me, I will be your prime minister. Whether you have voted for me or not, I will serve you," Pita said.

Words in This Story

monarchy – n. a system in which a country is ruled by a king or queen

unanimous – adj. agreed by everyone

careless – adj. not giving enough attention to what you are doing

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

3 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

4 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

7 coups   

n.意外而成功的行动( coup的名词复数 )；政变；努力办到难办的事

参考例句：

• China has seen many political coups within the ruling class. 中国统治阶级内部发生过很多政变。 来自互联网
• Thailand has had eighteen coups or coup attendance since nineteen thirty-two. 泰国1932年以来有18次政变或参加政变。 来自互联网

8 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

9 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

10 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。