A 42 year-old Harvard graduate could oust Thailand’s military-backed government. Pita Limjaroenrat’s progressive Move Forward party, which campaigned on promises to reform the monarchy and the armed forces, won 151 of 500 seats in Thailand’s lower house in a dramatic election on Sunday. It has quickly started coalition talks with the Pheu Thai, the other main pro-democracy party, and smaller parties that would deliver 309 seats. Forming a government still won’t be easy – a 250-member military-appointed Senate also votes to confirm the prime minister. But the result shows how frustrated people are with the pro-military coalition (the two main pro-military parties won 76 seats). Thailand’s 52 million voters have called for a new beginning.
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