Thailand chose a path of change and reform in a voice it hopes will be too loud to be ignored Sunday, with the triumph of an upstart political party on track to win the popular vote handily, according to unofficial returns.
According to just over 99% of the vote counted Monday morning, the young and progressive Move Forward Party had 14.2 million votes, or 36%, followed distantly in second by the legacy opposition party of Pheu Thai, with 10.7 million, or 27%. The military party proxy of incumbent Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha won only 4.7 million votes, or 12% of the vote.
After weeks of mounting anxiety, the nation signaled it wanted to turn the page from two decades of armwrestling between military rule and electorally potent Pheu Thai’ political dynasty in favor of a new generation vowing to chart a course that makes sense again after a generation of…
