Leader of Thailand's Move Forward party faces hurdles on path to power

FILE PHOTO: Supporters of Move Forward Party leader and prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat cheer as they celebrate the party's election results in Bangkok, Thailand, May 15, 2023. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Pita Limjaroenrat stood on the back of a truck, waving to hundreds of cheering supporters and signing autographs, a day after he led his Move Forward party to an extraordinary victory in Thailand's general election.

Behind him loomed a giant portrait of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, the head of a once seemingly untouchable institution that Move Forward has for the first time brought into public discourse in an election - a stance that may now complicate Pita's path to becoming prime minister.