Voting has begun in Thailand’s general election, with the daughter of ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra leading the way.
The elections are being hailed as a turning point for a country that has experienced a dozen military coups in its recent history.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the army general who led the last military coup in 2014, is seeking another term.
But, it faces a stiff challenge from two anti-military parties.
Voting began at 8:00 am (01:00 GMT) on Sunday at 95,000 polling stations across the country.
Around 50 million people will cast their ballots to elect 500 members of the lower house of parliament – and around two million people have already voted early.
Leading the race is Pheu Thai (for Thais), led by Mr Thaksin’s daughter Patongtern Shinawatra.
The 36-year-old is drawing on her father’s extensive patronage network and sticking to a public message that resonates in rural, low-income areas of the country.
Mr Thaksin, a telecommunications billionaire, is loved by many low-income Thais but is deeply unpopular with the royal elite. He was ousted in a military coup in 2006, after his opponents accused him of corruption. He has denied the allegations and has been living in exile in London and Dubai since 2008.
“I think after eight years people want better politics, better solutions for the country rather than just coups,” Ms Paetongtarn told JEE News.
The movement, led by 42-year-old former tech executive Peta Lamjarvinarat, is also rising rapidly in opinion polls. Its young, progressive and ambitious candidates are campaigning on a simple but powerful message: Thailand needs to change.
“And the change isn’t really about another coup. Because it’s a change backwards. It’s an army for a democratic future with better economic performance,” says Thetnan Pongsudhirak of the Institute of Security and International Studies. is about reforming the monarchy.” at Chulalongkorn University.
Meanwhile, Mr Prayuth, 69, is trailing in the polls. He wrested power from the government of Yingluck Shinawatra, Mr Thaksin’s sister, in 2014 after months of turmoil.
Thailand held elections in 2019, but the results showed that no clear party won a majority.
Weeks later, a pro-military party formed a government and named Mr. Prayuth as its prime ministerial candidate in a process the opposition said was unfair.
The following year, a controversial court ruling dissolved Future Forward, the previous iteration of Forward, which had performed strongly in the election thanks to the enthusiastic support of young voters.
