More than 2 million Thais who registered for early voting began casting ballots yesterday ahead of next week’s general election, with opposition parties projected to win a majority.
The vote is taking place amid an intensifying struggle for power in Thailand. The May 14 election pits supporters of the ruling military-backed coalition led by Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha against a pro-democracy camp of opposition parties led by the Pheu Thai and Move Forward parties.
While pre-election surveys show opposition parties holding a significant edge, election rules favor the incumbent.
Photo: AFP
Yesterday’s voters were among more than 52 million who will elect 500 candidates to Thailand’s House of Representatives.
However, the constitution promulgated under a military junta in 2017 gives the unelected 250-member Thai Senate, which is filled with pro-establishment allies, a say in the selection of the next prime minister.
That means the Pheu Thai Party, linked to former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, would need to pull together an alliance of at least 376 lawmakers to counter the Senate’s likely effort to block its candidate for prime minister.
While the preliminary outcome is to be announced on election night, official results are not likely to emerge until early July, according to the government’s preliminary time line.
The new parliament is expected to meet for the first time around mid-July and elect the prime minister later that month. Thailand is expected to have a new government in place by August.
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