Author: Jacob Ricks, SMU

There’s a Thai proverb — ‘flee a tiger only to find a crocodile’  — that describes a situation in Thai politics in the aftermath of this month’s elections aptly. After the progressive anti-junta Move Forward Party’s electoral victory on 14 May 2023, tigers and crocodiles abound.

In Thailand’s second general election since the 2014 coup, Move Forward captured the largest number of parliamentary seats (152) based on unofficial Election Commission (ECT) numbers, edging out its opposition ally Pheu Thai (141 seats).