Ousted Thai party confident of poll win
Credit to Author: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE| Date: Sun, 24 Mar 2019 16:18:26 +0000
BANGKOK: The leader of the Pheu Thai political party that was ousted as Thailand’s government in a 2014 military coup says she’s confident of winning Sunday’s election.
Speaking to reporters after voting in Bangkok, Sudarat Keyuraphan said: “I don’t say it’ll be a landslide. I don’t know. Depend on the people. But I think we can win this election.”
Thais are voting for a 500-member parliament that, along with a 250-member junta-appointed Senate, will decide the country’s next prime minister.
Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has issued a statement as Thais vote in their first election since the 2014 coup that says the role of leaders is to stop “bad people” from gaining power and causing chaos.
Invoking a speech by his father, the previous Thai king, who died in 2016 after reigning for seven decades, Vajiralongkorn said not all citizens could be transformed into good people, so leaders must be given support in ruling to create a peaceful nation.
He urged government officials, soldiers and civil servants to look after national security.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the army chief who led the 2014 coup, is hoping to extend his hold on power after engineering a new political system that aims to stifle the influence of big political parties not aligned with the military.
Voting is underway in Thailand’s first election since the military ousted an elected government in a 2014 coup.
AFP
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