The date for the general election in Thailand has been set for March 24, Ittiporn Boonpracong, the chairman of the Election Commission of Thailand, announced Wednesday, after Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn signed a decree authorizing the vote and permitting political parties to start their campaigns
BANGKOK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd January, 2019) The date for the general election in Thailand has been set for March 24, Ittiporn Boonpracong, the chairman of the Election Commission of Thailand, announced Wednesday, after Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn signed a decree authorizing the vote and permitting political parties to start their campaigns.Thai prime minister and head of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), a military junta that has been ruling the country since 2014 military coup, Prayut Chan-o-cha has signed the decree as well. The last legitimate parliamentary elections in the country were held in 2011.
"The election is scheduled for March 24," Boonpracong said.
Three political parties are expected to be the main contenders in the race: the pro-junta Palang Pracharat Party, anti-junta Pheu Thai Party, and the Democrat Party.
In May 2014, the NCPO forced out the government that was elected in 2011. Since then, an interim parliament, comprised of lawmakers designated by the NCPO, has been governing the country along with a NCPO-controlled cabinet. These new authorities banned political activity of any kind and had repeatedly postponed new elections.
In the most recent case, the Thai authorities scheduled elections for February but postponed the vote in early January due to legal issues and the Thai king's coronation, planned for May 4-6, which the authorities argued should be proper and free of political debates. The postponement sparked a wave of protests in several cities, with the most notable of them having occurred on January 20, when a group of 300 anti-junta protesters rallied outside Thammasat University in Bangkok.
In 2017, the government started gradually lifting the restrictions in a bid to suppress growing opposition and criticism. In December 2018, the NCPO abolished restrictions on public gatherings and political activities so that political parties could carry out their campaigns.
