About 95,000 polling stations across Thailand opened at 8 a.m. this morning, May 14, according to AFP. About 50 million Thai voters are expected to be eligible to vote at polling stations to elect a new leader in today's election. Another two million voters have already cast their ballots, according to the Bangkok Post .
A voter casts his ballot to cast his ballot during the general election at a polling station in Bangkok, Thailand, May 14.
"Decision Day"
Before the voting began, the Bangkok Post published an article about this important event today with the title "Decision Day", commenting that "today's election will radically change or maintain the status quo". This election is mainly a competition between the military faction represented by current Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, and the opposition led by the Pheu Thai Party, led by Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra - daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha speaks at an event in Bangkok on May 12 ahead of the general election.
"This election is considered an item on the national agenda to demonstrate the power of clean elections. No vote buying, no vote selling," Election Commission (EC) Chairman Ittiporn Boonpracong announced on May 13.
At the polling station, each eligible voter will be given two ballots - a purple ballot to choose a local member of parliament and a green ballot to choose the party they want to run the country, according to Mr Ittiporn.
The EC expects 85% of voters to cast their ballots in today’s election. The choice for Thais is between continued rule by elites whose political and economic decisions have led to glaring inequality, or the country’s dream of a truly democratic government with representatives who empower citizens and lift up those living in poverty, observers say, according to the Bangkok Post .
Pheu Thai Party prime ministerial candidates Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and Sretha Thavisin, a real estate tycoon, attend a large pre-election rally in Bangkok on May 12.
A total of 70 parties, 1,898 list candidates and 4,781 parliamentary candidates have registered to run in this election, while 63 people have been nominated as prime ministerial candidates from 43 parties.
Mr. Ittiporn said the EC is ready to hold today's election and ensure the event will go smoothly. The EC is expected to start reporting unofficial election results from 6:30 p.m. the same day.
Tighten security
More than 147,500 police will be deployed to ensure law and order at polling stations nationwide today, according to National Police Chief Damrongsak Kittiprapas. He added that the police will be divided into teams to guard polling stations during voting hours or be ready to be deployed quickly to handle specific incidents.
Ahead of the election, police cracked down on crime from May 4 to 11, with nearly 35,900 suspects arrested, according to Damrongsak. He said several other suspects were also arrested in a total of 184 election-related cases, with the most common crime being vandalism of election posters.
Police and officials from district offices in Bangkok check ballots, boxes and documents needed for the May 14 election at the Thai-Japanese Youth Center in Bangkok on May 13.
Bangkok Post screenshot
Meanwhile, voters in Thailand's deep south have been informed by the Fourth Army that security measures have been stepped up for today's vote, according to Lieutenant General Santi Sakultanak, commander of the army's southern region.
Tripartite security teams, including soldiers, police and defence volunteers, have been deployed in Yala, Patani Narathiwat and some areas of Songkhla province to ensure public safety on voting day.
"People can rest assured that they can go out to vote without fear or worry about their safety on Sunday (today) because the authorities are working to maximize security," Mr. Santi stressed.
Mr. Santi affirmed that security has been increased, especially at polling stations and areas considered vulnerable, to prevent attacks, noting that during the 2021 election, a vehicle transporting ballot boxes was hit by a bomb, according to the Bangkok Post .
With the Pheu Thai Party leading the polls, many are concerned that the Thai military will stage another coup if Prime Minister Prayuth fails to win re-election. However, General Narongpan Jitkaewthae, head of the Thai army and army chief, has dismissed the possibility. According to the general, past coups have been negative. Therefore, he believes there should be no more coups and the word should be removed from the dictionary, AFP news agency quoted him as saying recently.
Another problem for Pheu Thai, however, is that even though it has a high chance of winning, it is not certain that it will take power, because winning the election does not mean winning enough seats in the House of Representatives. According to the 2017 constitution drafted by the military, the prime minister will be elected by the 500 elected members of the House of Representatives and 250 senators - appointed by Mr. Prayut's government.
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