Today's Thailand Election Is Held, Opportunities To Eliminate Military Junta Constitutionally

Prayuth Chan-ocha, Thai PM who came to power through a military coup against Yingluck Shinawatra in 2014. (Betweens/Reuters/Athit Perawangmetha)

JAKARTA - Millions of voters began visiting polling stations in Thailand with the start of elections on Sunday at 8 am local time.

Around 52 million eligible voters will elect a new member of the House of Representatives with 500 seats for the next four years.

The main parties, including Pheu Thai, the Advanced Movement Party (MFP), the United Thai National Party (UTN), the Democratic Party, the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) and the Bhumjaithai Party will compete for seats.

Thailand's political environment is often divided into two camps: those who support the formation of the military and those who support wider democracy and civil liberties.

Prayuth Chan-ocha, a retired Royal Armed Forces soldier, came to power through a military coup in May 2014, overthrowing Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's democratically elected government.

He led the military junta until 2019 when he was prime minister in a civilian government appointed by the junta's preferred military members. He has remained in power since then, making him one of Thailand's longest-serving prime ministers.

Elections provide an opportunity for opposition groups to challenge Prayuth's grip on power.

opposition party Pheu Thai, one of the most popular political parties to win five elections before being ousted in a coup led in most polls with a strong support base in rural areas and worker-group voters.

There are also parties that emerged from pro-democracy protests in 2020, the Advanced Movement Party (MFP) which quickly received support among youth voters and pro-democracy activists, considered one of the main competitors, according to polls.

About 6,679 candidates for 500 seats in parliament while 63, including nine women, were nominated by 43 parties for prime ministerial office, according to Thai PBS World.

The vote will end at 5pm with preliminary results scheduled to be announced on Sunday evening.