BANGKOK, Thailand — Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, a royalist who favors Thailand’s politically powerful army, won the most seats in Sunday’s general elections, outmaneuvering his progressive rival who wanted to reform the military and monarchy.
Mr. Anutin’s victory is partly a reward for the U.S.-backed military’s strong performance against Cambodia during the smoldering border war of recent months — a conflict Mr. Anutin inherited when he became prime minister in September.
Mr. Anutin thanked “all Thais, no matter if you voted for us or not,” after his Bhumjaithai (Proud to be Thai) Party’s unassailable lead appeared in the vote counting.
With 89% of the votes counted, Mr. Anutin’s BJT won 175 seats, the People’s Party scored 85, and the Pheu Thai party took 60.
The results showed Mr. Anutin’s party winning the most seats in parliament’s 500-member House of Representatives but not a majority.
In Thailand, if no party scores a majority of at least 251 seats, parliamentarians must agree on a majority coalition and name a prime minister.
Mr. Anutin relies on technocrats and an established political machine.
A few years ago, he led a campaign that decriminalized cannabis, resulting in a multi-million dollar industry and thousands of registered and unregistered dispensaries.
Over the next few weeks, Mr. Anutin is expected to form a coalition and be officially confirmed as prime minister by the election commission and the palace.
Led by his coalition, Bangkok is expected to continue perceiving Washington as militarily reliable but politically confusing and demanding, analysts said.
In contrast, Bangkok will continue to view Beijing as a dependable economic, cultural and diplomatic partner, they said.
“Before 2025, major candidates would have been tilted towards the United States. Now, the U.S. is undergoing a fundamental change, making China appear to be a more reliable country,” Kantathi Suphamongkhon, a former foreign minister, said in an interview.
Another former foreign minister, Kasit Piromya, said in an interview: “The overall relationship between Thailand and China, based on mutual respect and moderation, will continue.
“There will be questions about the utility of the long-held Thai-U.S. alliance. The U.S. side pursues its own national interest, and the rest of the world has to adjust and make deals,” Mr. Kasit said.
“The Bhumjaithai Party has gained public respect for giving respect and support to the armed forces. The People’s Party has been perceived to be anti-military,” Mr. Kasit said.
Most candidates expressed unconditional support for the armed forces to decide how to proceed in Thailand’s smoldering six-month-long conflict with Cambodia, including when to open their closed border gates.
Thailand, a Buddhist-majority, Southeast Asia treaty ally of the U.S., has suffered more than a dozen military coups since World War II, making Thailand’s current civilian-led government a rare exception after the latest 2014 putsch.
