Early exit polls suggest the opposition party led by the sister of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is set to secure a landslide win in elections today.
According to Suan Dusit University, Yingluck Shinawatra and her Pheu Thai party could win as many as 313 seats in the 500-seat parliament, compared with the 152 projected for Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s Democrats.
Thaksin, who is in exile in Dubai, told the BBC that in his view, it was clear that the Thai people had voted for change.
‘They want to see reconciliation, we want to have reconciliation,’ he said, adding that all parties should respect the voters’ decision.
He will clearly have had the army in mind when he issued this message. As noted by Simon Roughneen writing for The Diplomat Friday, concerns linger that the military could step in as it did in 2006 when it ousted Thaksin from power.
UPDATE 1: Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has conceded, the Bangkok Post is reporting.
UPDATE 2: With 94 percent of the vote counted, Pheu Thai have secured 261 seats, compared with the Democrats' 162.