OPPOSITION parties in Thailand scored a stunning election victory today by capturing a majority of the seats in the House of Representatives.

Pita Limjaroenrat led the Move Forward Party to a first-place finish, overtaking its opposition partner the Pheu Thai Party, which had been the favourite.

Pheu Thai stumbled despite the star power of Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of former populist prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled by a military coup in 2006 and is the driving force behind the party.

Mr Pita said today that he had spoken to five other parties about forming a coalition government.

It would have a total of 309 seats in the House of Representatives, providing more stability than a 292-seat partnership with Pheu Thai alone. 

Parliament selects a new prime minister in July, so he has about two months to assemble a coalition deal.

Thailand has for the past nine years been led by former army commander Prayuth Chan-ocha, who seized power in a 2014 military coup and was returned as prime minister after the 2019 election. 

He stood for re-election on Sunday but is blamed for a lagging economy, a botched response to the coronavirus pandemic and thwarting democratic reforms.

Parties allied to the military polled about 5 per cent of the votes cast.

“The sentiment of the era has changed and it’s right,” Mr Pita said today. “And today, it’s a new day and, hopefully, it’s full of the bright sunshine of hope going forward.”

As it became clear that his party was taking the lead, he tweeted that he is ready to bring about change as Thailand’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,” he pledged.

Move Forward and Pheu Thai are mostly allied in their opposition to the military’s interference in politics, which it has demonstrated by staging more than a dozen coups since 1932, when Thailand became a constitutional monarchy, the most recent being in 2006 and 2014.

Move Forward appears to have captured some 151 seats in the lower house of parliament by winning over 24 per cent of the popular vote for 400 constituency seats and more than 36 per cent of the vote for the 100 seats allocated by proportional representation.

Pheu Thai Party came second, with its combined seat total projected at 141.

Mr Prayuth’s United Thai Nation Party took fifth place in the constituency votes and third in the party-preference tally, giving it a projected total of 36 seats.