Thais went to the polls today in the first parliamentary elections since pro-democracy protests in 2020, with the conservative, pro-military government appearing to lose, according to opinion polls.

Analysts expect a high turnout, reflecting the desire of many Thais for change at a time when the country is witnessing a decline in basic freedoms.

The largest opposition party, Pheu Thai, led by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, is hoping to turn the page on nearly a decade in which Thailand was ruled by the military or its allies under outgoing Prime Minister Prayut Chan. – o- Cha, 69 years old.

The Electoral Commission expects turnout to reach 80%, with polls closing at 17:00 (13:00 Greek time) and unofficial results expected around 22:00 (18:00 Greek time), according to its president.

According to opinion polls, the opposition Pheu Thai and Moving Forward parties will win the most seats, but it is not certain that either will manage to govern because of the rules adopted in Thailand by the military after its coup in 2014, which were designed to favor him.

“Electoral wave”

The main candidates went to vote in the capital Bangkok this morning, local time, after polling stations opened at 08:00 (04:00 Greek time).

Former general Prayuth called on voters to turn out en masse, saying he hoped for “as high a turnout as possible”.

Prayuth seized power in a 2014 coup and was then elected prime minister in 2019 after a disputed election. He now appears to be at a disadvantage against the pro-democracy front, led by 36-year-old Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

Shinawatra campaigned under the slogan “the electoral wave”, which she will need to win power.

Her party needs 376 seats out of a total of 500 in the National Assembly to resist the influence of the 250 military-appointed senators. By contrast, her pro-military opponents need only 126 MPs to secure a majority to elect a prime minister, who is chosen by both houses.

Paetongtarn Shinawatra relies on the popularity of her father, Thaksin Shinawatra, who served as Thailand’s prime minister from 2001 to 2006 and is now living in exile to avoid a corruption conviction.

The charismatic personality of Thaksin, a billionaire adored by thousands of rural residents in northern and northeastern Thailand who have benefited from his social reforms, has polarized the country’s political life for 20 years between his supporters (the “reds”) and of his conservative opponents who support the army (the “yellows”).

Both Thaksin and his sister Yingluck Shinawatra were ousted from power in military coups in 2006 and 2014 respectively.