San Francisco Frontiers - Thailand wraps up first senate election in a decade

Incoming senators are not backed by political parties, making it difficult to say who has won, but analysts said many of them are allied to the conservative Bhumjaithai party.

The 200 members chosen in the three-round process -- which did not feature a full public vote -- include a significant number of former civil servants, military and police officers.

Analysts said the result could cause headaches for the government led by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's Pheu Thai party -- even though Bhumjaithai is part of the coalition.

"Pheu Thai moves will be difficult from now -- red (the party colour) does not come to the upper house as planned," Thanaporn Sriyakul, director of the Institute of Politics and Policy Analysis, told AFP.

In one reverse for Pheu Thai, former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat -- brother-in-law of party patriarch and veteran politician Thaksin Shinawatra -- failed in his bid for a senate seat.

Senators were chosen not from political parties but to represent 20 different fields of work and life, including justice, education, public health, industry, arts and sport, the elderly and ethnic minorities.

In a significant change the new senate -- 50 members smaller than the outgoing version which was appointed by the ruling junta in 2014 -- will no longer vote to approve the prime minister after an election.

The current senate played a crucial role after last year's general election, blocking Pita Limjaroenrat -- the leader of the party that won most seats -- from becoming premier.

The government will also need approval from at least a third of the upper house for its plans to change Thailand's constitution -- scripted by the junta in the wake of its power grab.

Final results will be officially confirmed on Tuesday.

H.Reyes--SFF