Thailand voted after five years of dictatorship: official results contradict the polls and give victory to the military junta

The Thais went to the parliamentary elections Sunday in an atmosphere of hope after almost five years of military rule ruled by the coup d'etat Prayut Chan-ochawho took power during a coup in May 2014.

The first official results were received with surprise, since 90% of the votes award victory to the military junta's candidates, a scenario very different from that presented by the previous polls.

More than 7.3 million Thai voters (out of a total of 50 million) have supported Palang Pracharat, the party of the board of directors. After that, the main opposition party, Pheu Thai, got 6.8 million votes. All indications are that no training will reach a parliamentary majority.

The Thai Election Commission also unexpectedly announced that it was delaying the release of the preliminary election results on Monday.

The Party for Democracy Puea Thai ("For Thais", which has won all elections since 2001) led the polls and managed to be the first minority, according to an exit poll released after the close of the offices of vote. The movement, linked to the Shinawatra family, earned 163 of the 500 seats in the lower house, compared to the promising Phalang Pracharat, second with 96 seats, according to the poll Super Poll.

A possible victory of the opposition did not guarantee the defeat of the army, because the new prime minister will be elected by the 500 deputies in a joint vote with 250 senators, chosen by hand by the military junta and that includes the leaders of the armed forces.

The Democratic Party, which is close to the upper middle clbad and monarchical and military elites, has 77 to 88 deputies, followed by Bhumjaithai (between 40 and 59 seats) and emerging Anakot Mai ("New Future"), between 40 and 49. deputies.

In these elections, an "international observer mission" was not allowed, although the Delegation of the European Union He said he had accredited diplomats to oversee the process only for internal reports.

The elections take place after the May 2014 coup against the Puea Thai government and after being delayed half a dozen times.

"I feel very good, there is a good atmosphere, I want more democracy," he said. Efe Pattarapol Kumlor, a 21-year-old business student, before voting in a polling station at That Thong Temple in Bangkok.

Pattarapol said his vote would go to the Anakot Mai ("New Future"), which have a lot of impact among the young, partly because of the charisma of its leader, millionaire and young entrepreneur, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit.

The university confessed that other members of his family would nonetheless vote for parties in the most conservative wing: the Democratic Party, with the support of the upper middle clbades, and the Democratic Party. promote Phalang Pracharat, who has Prayut at the top of the list.

Kritsana, a 63-year-old street vendor, was "happy" and hopes that the next government will improve the economy because she regrets that sales have fallen in recent years.

With his 41-year-old son Theeratat, he announced that he will vote for the "pro-democracy camp", which includes mainly Anakot Mai and Puea Thai (related to the Shinawatra family), in front of the nearby parties. of the army (with the party). Democrat and Phalang Pracharat at the head).

Chad, a 40-year-old stockbroker, has expressed "hope" that the country will return to democracy, while criticizing the fact that the 250 members of the Senate, chosen by the military junta, are participating in the election of the president. future minister with the 500 deputies of the lower house.

He said that with the military junta, the economy has not gone badly in recent years, even though he regretted the delayed projects such as the high-speed train, to his notice, for want of short-term electoral income.

The Electoral Commission announced that the preliminary results with 95% of the votes would be announced as of 21:00 local time (14:00 GMT), four hours after the closing of the schools.

In a message released Saturday night, King Vajiralongkorn has ambiguously called on Thais to vote for "quality people" who can prevent bad guys from creating problems.

"Please keep in mind the important things to govern in this country, there are good and bad people, no one can change one to become a good person, but to help good people to govern the country and to control the bad people so that not to have the power and to cause problems ", read the message of the monarch.