Follow Thai politics in English — government policy, elections, parliament and political developments, with reporting and analysis from Thai PBS World.
Bangkok’s election battleground will likely be dominated by two pro-democracy parties on May 14 – the long-popular Pheu Thai and its formidable challenger Move Forward. Dr Stithorn Thananithichot, director of Innovation for Democracy at the King Prajadhipok’s Institute, predicts these two parties will take over the city in the upcoming general election. “The conservative camp
This article is translated from an article originally called “In the Movement (ในความเคลื่อนไหว)” on decode.plus: https://decode.plus/author/prajakkong/ By Associate Professor Dr. Prajak Kongkirati The upcoming 2023 General Election is taking place in a new political climate in various respects. This article focuses on a political party system that has changed over the years. As many of you might have
Thailand’s Election Commission (EC) is investigating a report of an unusually high number of advance voters in the three north-eastern provinces of Amnat Charoen, Yasothon and Si Sa Ket and alleged collection of ID cards from eligible voters, according to EC Secretary-General Sawaeng Boonmee. He said that the EC was aware of such reports before
Many voters have turned up at polling stations across the country to cast their ballots in advance voting today (Sunday). In Bangkok, voters showed up an hour or two before the 8am opening time, to avoid being caught up in traffic congestion and the hot weather, which will become unbearable towards midday. At the Bang
Thailand’s Election Commission has sent all the ballot sheets, ballot boxes and election-related documents to two stadia in the Din Daeng area for safe keeping, before they are distributed to all polling stations in Bangkok before dawn tomorrow (Sunday) for advance voting, which will last from 8am until 5pm. About 3,000 police officers will be
Despite the rise of social media, campaign posters still seem to be the main channel of communication for political parties and candidates going all out to woo voters as election day approaches. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of election posters nationwide are competing for the attention of passersby. In Bangkok, it is difficult to
As advance voting is due to take place tomorrow (Sunday) across Thailand, the Election Commission has issued a warning to remind the public and election candidates about the prohibitions in place from tomorrow until Election Day on May 14th. Violators may face jail terms ranging from three months to ten years and/or a fine of
The Pheu Thai party is expected to win 139 House seats, with a 5% margin of error, in the May 14th general election, but no landslide, according to Super Poll. Assistant Professor Noppadon Kannika, director of the Super Poll Research Office, said today (Friday) that the forecast is based on their 7th opinion poll of
Pheu Thai Party’s prime ministerial candidate, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, on Wednesday tried to play down remarks by her father, former prime minister Thaksin, that he is yearning to end his self-exile and return to be his family in Thailand. “Didn’t he say that he wants to come back to help look after his grandchildren and not
The Thailand Development Research Institute has criticised the Election Commission for its failure to check whether populist campaign policies, promised by political parties in their election manifestos, are worth the huge spending, confirming the sources of the funding for the policies and the potential impacts on the country’s fiscal discipline and public debt. The country’s
Election ballots were dispatched, under tight police security, from Thailand Post Company’s head office in Bangkok today (Monday) to 400 electoral constituencies across the country, ahead of advance voting this Sunday. Pol Gen Roy Ingkapairote, the deputy national police chief, in his capacity as the chief of the command centre to ensure security and peace
Vote buying can be a deciding factor in Thai elections at any level – whether for a village head, a local administrator, or a member of Parliament. And the upcoming general election on May 14 is no exception, according to analysts and even politicians themselves. Many Thai election candidates have blamed their defeat on vote
