Thailand votes in snap election amid reformist push and conservative resistance

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - BANGKOK — Thailand voted Sunday in a snap general election called after repeated coalition collapses produced three prime ministers in as many years, with early results expected late in the evening and no party forecast to secure an outright majority.

The vote once again pits reformist forces against entrenched conservative power.

The opposition People’s Party, which advocates sweeping political and economic changes, is competing against conservative blocs led by Prime Minister Anutin Charnavirakul and his Bhumjaithai (Thai Pride) Party.

Polling stations opened nationwide amid voter frustration over prolonged political instability and a stagnating economy. Results are expected around 10 p.m. local time (1500 GMT).

The People’s Party, led by Nattaphong Ruengpanyawut, entered the election leading opinion polls, promising to curb the influence of major conglomerates and the military, streamline the bureaucracy and overhaul the education system. Its predecessors won the most seats in the 2023 election but were blocked from forming a government by the military-appointed Senate, and the party was later dissolved by the Constitutional Court.

Powerful unelected institutions, including the courts and the Senate, have repeatedly intervened in Thai politics over the past two decades. Since 2008, five prime ministers from the Pheu Thai Party have been dismissed by court rulings, and multiple parties aligned with reformist or populist agendas have been dissolved.

Anutin has positioned himself as the standard-bearer of conservative stability, appealing to nationalist sentiment following brief border clashes with Cambodia last year and pledging to protect the monarchy and the military. His Bhumjaithai Party, once a small provincial force, is now a major political contender.

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The Shinawatra family-backed Pheu Thai Party, once dominant in Thai politics, is the third main contender but is expected to lose ground. Its previous coalition government faced criticism over handling relations with Cambodia, and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was jailed, weakening the party’s standing. Pheu Thai has campaigned on populist economic pledges, including cash handouts and subsidies.

Voters have expressed growing concern over rising living costs and Thailand’s declining competitiveness compared with regional peers such as Vietnam, as foreign investors remain wary of political uncertainty.

Beyond the parliamentary race, voters are also casting ballots in a referendum on whether to reform the 2017 constitution, drafted under military rule. Critics argue the charter grants excessive power to unelected bodies and restricts democratic governance.

If the People’s Party surpasses the 151 seats it won in 2023, it may become harder for institutions to block it from forming a government, though further legal or political intervention remains a possibility. If conservative parties collectively secure more seats, Anutin is widely expected to remain prime minister with establishment backing.