Thailand to hold elections on Feb 8, election commission says

Source: The Straits Times

BANGKOK – Thailand is set to hold parliamentary elections on Feb 8, the election commission said in a statement on Dec 15, with the earlier-than-expected polls coming after Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul dissolved Parliament last week.

The dissolution move came after Mr Anutin fell out with the opposition People’s Party, the largest grouping in Parliament, plunging South-east Asia’s second-largest economy into political turmoil amid a raging border conflict with Cambodia.

Thais will vote to elect 500 lawmakers, with 400 constituency seats and 100 allocated on a party-list basis, and each party can submit up to three prime ministerial candidates.

Official poll results will be announced by April 9, the election commission said, after which the new Parliament must convene within 15 days to elect speakers and then vote in a prime minister.

Thailand’s third prime minister since August 2023, Mr Anutin had won the support of the People’s Party for his premiership bid in September on condition that he start the process to amend the Constitution and then dissolve the House by the end of January.

The 59-year-old seasoned dealmaker stands to gain from a wave of nationalism ​sweeping through Thailand as its military fights Cambodia in the name of defending Thai sovereignty.

However, opinion polls consistently show that the People’s Party is Thailand’s most popular, and it is likely to be a force to be reckoned with. Its previous incarnation, known as the Move Forward Party, won the last election in 2023.