Results of the intricate multi-round election to select a new senate in Thailand were announced on Thursday. This marks the first poll for the upper house since a military coup ten years ago.
The newly elected senators do not have affiliations with political parties, making it challenging to determine the winners. However, analysts suggest that many of them are linked to the conservative Bhumjaithai party.
The 200 members chosen through a three-round process, which did not involve a full public vote, include a significant number of former civil servants, military, and police officers.
Analysts anticipate potential challenges for the government, led by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s Pheu Thai party, even though Bhumjaithai is part of the coalition.
“Pheu Thai’s strategies will face obstacles going forward, as the expected representation in the upper house did not materialize,” remarked Thanaporn Sriyakul, director of the Institute of Politics and Policy Analysis, in a statement to AFP.
In a setback for Pheu Thai, former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat, the brother-in-law of party patriarch Thaksin Shinawatra, was unsuccessful in securing a senate seat.
Senators were selected not based on political party associations but to represent various sectors such as justice, education, public health, industry, arts, sports, the elderly, and ethnic minorities.
A notable change is the reduced size of the new senate, comprised of 50 fewer members than the previous version appointed by the ruling junta in 2014. This new senate will no longer have the authority to approve the prime minister post-election.
The current senate played a pivotal role after the last general election, obstructing the appointment of Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of the party that secured the most seats, as the premier.
The government will now require approval from at least one-third of the upper house to make amendments to Thailand’s constitution, which was drafted by the junta following their assumption of power.
The final results will be officially confirmed on Tuesday.