BANGKOK: Voting was underway in Thailand on Sunday in an election expected to deliver big gains for opposition forces, testing the resolve of a pro-military establishment at the heart of two decades of intermittent turmoil in the coup-prone country.
About 52 million eligible voters are choosing among progressive opposition parties – one with a knack for winning elections – and others allied with royalist generals keen to preserve the status quo after nine years of government led or backed by the army.
Opinion polls indicate the opposition Pheu Thai and Move Forward parties will gain the most seats but with no guarantee either will govern because of parliamentary rules written by the military after its 2014 coup and skewed in its favour.
Wongsak Na Chiengmai was the first person to vote at his polling station in central Bangkok. “I’m already 88. It’s not easy,” he said,…
