Still, even with such built-in advantages, the opposition Pheu Thai party won most seats in the House of Representatives. "We already had a democratic election, so you cannot say that this is somehow an extension of his power from before," party deputy spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said of Prayuth. However, the Election Commission then said it would delay release of the results of the 150 "party seats" until after the May 4 coronation of King Vajiralongkorn. The new seat allocation denied the Democratic Front its projected House majority, which would at least have given them the power to block legislation or stage a no-confidence vote. "By allowing the military to infiltrate all aspects of the political mechanism, it allows them to maintain power in the long term," Titipol said.

Source: The Star June 05, 2019 18:11 UTC