Polls open as opposition set for gains – DW – 05/14/2023

Polls opened in Thailand on Sunday for an election that is likely to unseat the ruling conservative military-backed government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha after almost a decade.

How is the race significant? 

The general elections in Thailand will see about 52 million eligible voters choosing between progressive opposition parties and the incumbent government led by Prayuth who first came to power in a 2014 coup.

About 95,000 polling stations set up across the country opened at 8:00 am (0100 GMT) on Sunday.

The main opposition Pheu Thai party led by former premier Thaksin Shinawatra’s daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra along with the Move Forward party— were projected to win most of the 500 seats of the lower house, in the final opinion polls.

This is the first election being held since youth-led pro-democracy protests broke out in 2020.

A political party, or coalition, needs to win a majority of 376 votes from both the 500-seat lower house and the 250 military-appointed senators.

The next premier will be selected in a joint session of the lower house and the 250-seat Senate, which will take place in July.

Fears linger despite a wind of change

Despite opinion polls suggesting the likelihood of a change in government, a history of military coups, court orders and junta-formulated 2017 constitution sustain fears of the military’s continued rule.

In the 2019 elections, Pheu Thai won most seats but its military-backed nemesis, the Palang Pracharath Party, entered into a coalition with Prayuth as prime minister.

The Senate, which comprises members who favor the military, will jointly decide the fate of the country which has seen dozens of coups in the last century and witnessed a series of street protests.

mf/wd (AFP, Reuters, AP)