Thailand is holding a general election on Sunday, with the opposition emerging as the clear favourite after a decade of government under the command of General Prayut Chan-ocha. Some 52 million Thais are expected to vote on election day, considered one of the most important in recent decades, as it could mean a change of government in the event of a defeat for Prayut, the current prime minister.
DPM Pravit Wongsuwan Invites Public to Come Out and Vote
Thai polling stations opened at 8 a.m. to elect the new government, focused on an opposition based on the two pillars of reformism and the power of the Shinawatra dynasty, represented respectively by the Move Forward party and Pheu Thai, both absolute favourites in the polls.
About 90,000 polling stations across the country opened at 08.00 a.m. local time and will close at 17.00 p.m., although voters who are inside by then will be able to cast their ballots later.
Elections could oust Thai military after a decade in power: What to know https://t.co/vsxmvZHTQ2
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Thais will elect their representatives to the 500-seat House of Representatives, of which 400 will be elected by constituency and another 100 on a party list.
In these elections, the majority of seats in the Thai lower house will be decided and the party with the most seats will be given the chance to nominate a prime minister, but the Senate is dominated by ruling party representatives, who can overrule this nomination, as can the election commission or the courts, many of whose members were elected by the last junta that led the country from 2014 to 2019.
A total of 70 parties, 1,898 parliamentary list candidates and 4,781 parliamentary candidates have registered to participate in these elections, while 63 people have been nominated as prime ministerial candidates by 43 parties. The Election Commission is expected to start reporting the unofficial election results from 18.30 local time, as reported by ‘The Bangkog Post’.
More than 147,500 police have been deployed to ensure law and order at the nearly 95,000 polling stations across the country, police chief Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas said.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra is the favourite to become prime minister. The election race has been marked by the prominence of the two main opposition parties, the Pheu Thai and the Move Forward party, which together are expected to win more than 70 % of the vote, according to the latest polls.
The latest polls indicate that Pheu Thai, led by the powerful Shinawatra family – whose political party was ousted from power in the 2014 uprising – leads the polls with more than 38% of the vote, while the reformist Move Forward has 33%.
A victory for Pheu Thai would mean the return of the powerful Shinawatra clan to power, this time under Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of exiled former prime minister Taksin Shinawatra, who is favourite to become prime minister.
Meanwhile, young Thais mainly support Move Forward, led by its prime ministerial candidate, Pita Limjaroenrat, whose agenda is more focused on democratising the country and ending the inequality that plagues Thai society.
The pro-military formation with the most support among the some 70 parties contesting the elections is the United Thai Nation, led by Prayut, which is in third place in the polls with 12% of the support.
Thai Elections, 1974#Bangkok #กรุงเทพ #Thailand pic.twitter.com/Wk036TnURQ
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Prayut Chan-o-cha is seeking re-election in the election, the country’s first since the 2019 elections, which were held under the former military junta.
Alcohol Sales Prohibited During Early Voting and Election Days
The Election Commission has shared a number of rules to be complied with, including a ban on the consumption of alcoholic beverages, as the sale of alcoholic beverages will not be allowed until polling stations close, betting on the outcome of polling stations is not allowed, nor is buying or selling votes.
-Thailand News (TN)
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