Thai opposition figure urges holdout parties to support election winner

FILE PHOTO: Move Forward Party leader and prime ministerial candidate, Pita Limjaroenrat, celebrates the party's election results in Bangkok, Thailand, May 15, 2023. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

BANGKOK (Reuters) - An opposition leader in Thailand on Tuesday urged holdout parties to join an alliance with election winners to block defeated military-backed parties from forming a minority government.

The progressive Move Forward Party staked a claim as the new force in Thai politics on Sunday, winning most seats in a general election, including in some conservative strongholds, and coming within just four votes of a clean sweep of the capital, Bangkok.