The Future Forward Party's (FFP) victory in a Chiang Mai vote re-run is unlikely to add a party-list MP to its camp, but the Democrats and Palang Pracharath (PPRP) parties look set to gain a party-list MP each.
The FFP's Srinuan Boonlue won the vote re-run in Chiang Mai's Constituency 8 with 75,891 votes -- far higher than the 29,556 she received in the March 24 election that saw her finish in third place in the constituency.
The re-run saw her become the constituency MP who won the most votes in the country -- topping Phrae's Ekkarn Suesongtham, also from the FFP, who received 72,016 votes.
While the FFP victory brought an additional seat to the Pheu Thai-led seven party coalition, the votes earned by PPRP candidate Thamrongtipayakhun (27,861) and the Democrat Party's Woranan Ontuam (1,738) are likely give two party-list seats to the pro-regime bloc, even though they won fewer votes than they did in the March 24 poll.
Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul, right, greets Somsak Thepsutin, chief of the PPRP's election campaign, left, at the Bhumjaithai Party headquarters. Apichit Jinakul
In the case of the PPRP candidate it was 11,360 fewer, votes and 770 fewer for the Democrat candidate.
The number of FFP party-list MPs will remain unchanged at 50.
The re-run will have an impact on the pro-regime Thai Rak Tham Party, which could lose its only MP seat -- won by its leader Peerawit Ruangluedolapak -- which it received based on the Election Commission (EC)'s calculation method, under the complicated mixed-member apportionment (MMP) system.
After the re-run, the number of PPRP party-list MPs will likely rise from 18 to 19.
The 19th candidate on the party's list is Watanya Wongopasi, a media executive and wife of media tycoon Chai Bunnag.
The number of Democrat party-list MPs could increase from 19 to 20, and Chitpas Kridakorn, an heiress of the Singha group and a former core member of the People's Democratic Reform Committee, would become its newest MP.
Sawang Boonmee, deputy secretary-general of the EC, said about 78% out of the 163,343 eligible voters turned out to vote in Chiang Mai's Constituency 8 re-run.
