Unexpected Thailand Election Result

The Move Forward party unexpectedly won the Thailand general election on Sunday 14 May, and seems likely to form the first non-military backed government since the 2014 coup. Move Forward will form government with another opposition party, Pheu Thai, which is led by a member of the Shinawatra family and had been the predicted winner. Move Forward are widely seen as the most progressive party in this election as they have been willing to engage with unions and even place union leaders high on their ticket. There is still a long road ahead for the Move Forward party to form government, and the balance of forces may not necessarily mean that they will be able to reform some of the most repressive laws in that country, namely, the Lese Majeste Law. There’s also the ever looming threat of yet another military coup.On today’s program, I speak with Thai activist, Junya Lek Yimprasert, who still remains in exile in Finland, but, possibly, things might be looking up for Lek.