Kamal Ghorui
Vote counting is underway in Thailand after voters went to the polls on Sunday in an early general election dominated by three major parties. The election was widely seen as a three-way contest among the progressive People’s Party, populist Pheu Thai, and conservative Bhumjaithai, vying for power.The vote, involving 53 million registered voters, took place against a backdrop of slow economic growth and growing nationalist sentiment. Of more than 50 parties contesting, only the People’s Party, Bhumjaithai, and Pheu Thai had the nationwide support to potentially form a government. However, no party is projected to win a majority, with local polls indicating that coalition-building will be necessary to form the next government, news agency AP reported.The 500-member House of Representatives will select the next prime minister, requiring a simple majority.According to news agency AFP, the progressive People’s Party led opinion polls ahead of the vote, but analysts expect the incumbent conservative, Anutin Charnvirakul, to remain a key figure in government, continuing Thailand’s political deadlock. The opinion polls projected a three-way contest between the progressive People’s Party, conservative Bhumjaithai, and populist Pheu Thai. More than 50 parties contested the election, but only these three were considered capable of gaining a nationwide mandate.The People’s Party, successor to the dissolved Move Forward Party, was ahead in pre-election surveys. Its leader, Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, said after casting his vote in Bangkok, “I think we will get the mandate from the people, and we promised the people that we will form the people’s government to bring policies that benefit all, not a few in the country”, AP reported.According to AFP, the party continues to advocate reforms of the military, police, and judiciary, targeting youth and urban voters. Legal constraints forced it to drop demands for changes to the law punishing criticism of the monarchy, while shifting emphasis to economic issues.Bhumjaithai, led by incumbent Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, is seen as the establishment’s preferred choice. Anutin assumed office in September after Paetongtarn Shinawatra was removed by the courts and later dissolved parliament in December to call a new election following a no-confidence threat Voting in Buriram, he was cited by AP as saying, “We have done everything that we had to, but we cannot force the mind of the people. We can only present ourselves, and hope that the people will have faith in us” The Pheu Thai Party, linked to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, trails in third place. Campaigning on economic revival and cash handouts, its lead candidate, Thaksin’s nephew Yodchanan Wongsawat, said, “I’m excited, because I think today will be another busy day for the country’s democracy” Sunday’s ballot also included a referendum on whether to begin drafting a new constitution to replace the 2017 military-drafted charter, though no specific draft was on the ballot, AFP reported.
