Taiwan congratulates Thailand on Lower House election

Taipei, Feb. 9 (CNA) Taiwan's government on Monday congratulated Thailand on the smooth completion of its general election a day earlier, in which the country's ruling conservative party secured a solid victory.

Sunday's election was held to fill all 500 seats in the House of Representatives, including 400 constituency seats and 100 party-list seats.

The ruling Bhumjaithai Party of caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul won 174 constituency seats, followed by the People's Party with 87 seats and the Pheu Thai Party with 58, according to results released by Thailand's Election Commission early Monday, with 94 percent of ballots counted.

In response, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a press release that Taiwan's representative office in Bangkok had conveyed congratulatory messages to the Thai government and the election winners.

MOFA said Taiwan and Thailand have long maintained close and cordial ties in areas including trade, investment, tourism, culture and education.

Building on this foundation, the ministry said Taiwan looks forward to further deepening cooperation across various fields under Thailand's new government and parliament.