BANGKOK: Voting was underway in Thailand on Sunday in an election expected to deliver big gains for opposition forces, testing the resolve of a pro-military establishment at the heart of two decades of intermittent turmoil in the coup-prone country.
About 52 million eligible voters are choosing among progressive opposition parties - one with a knack for winning elections - and others allied with royalist generals keen to preserve the status quo after nine years of government led or backed by the army.
Opinion polls indicate the opposition Pheu Thai and Move Forward parties will gain the most seats but with no guarantee either will govern because of parliamentary rules written by the military after its 2014 coup and skewed in its favour.
Wongsak Na Chiengmai was the first person to vote at his polling station in central Bangkok. "I'm already 88. It's not easy," he said, holding on to a crutch. "This is very important for the country."
Elsewhere in the capital, prime ministerial hopefuls for the ruling party and opposition groups cast their votes early on Sunday, including incumbent Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.
The election again pits Pheu Thai's driving force, the billionaire Shinawatra family, against a nexus of old money, military and conservatives with influence over key institutions that have toppled three of the populist movement's four governments.
The seeds of conflict were sown in 2001 when Thaksin Shinawatra, a brash capitalist upstart, was swept to power on a pro-poor, pro-business platform that energised disenfranchised rural masses and challenged patronage networks, putting him at odds with Thailand's established elite.
Thaksin's detractors in the urban middle class viewed him as a corrupt demagogue who abused his position to build his own power base and further enrich his family. Mass protests broke out in Bangkok during his second term in office.
In 2006 the military toppled Thaksin, who fled into exile. His sister Yingluck's government suffered the same fate eight years later. Now his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, a political neophyte, has taken up the mantle.
DICTATORSHIP TO DEMOCRACY
"May 14 will be a historic day. We will change from a dictatorship to a democratically elected government," Paetongtarn, 36, told cheering crowds on Friday at Pheu Thai's final rally.
"Every time we come to power we are able to bring prosperity to the people. I've entered politics to help the new generation, to support their families."
The populist approach of Pheu Thai and its predecessors has been so successful that rival forces that once derided it as vote-buying now offer strikingly similar policies.
The military-backed Palang Pracharat promises a handout of 30,000 baht ($890) each to 7.5 million farming families, a big increase in allowances for the elderly and infrastructure projects in Thailand's poorest region.
The United Thai Nation of Prime Minister Prayuth, who led the coup against Pheu Thai's last government, has pledged debt relief, cheaper electricity for low-income groups and subsidies for transport and crop harvesting.
Prayuth has campaigned on continuity, hoping to woo conservative middle-class voters tired of street protests and political upheaval.
"We do not want change that will overturn the country. Can you accept that? Do you know what kind of damage it would do?" he asked supporters on Friday.
Some analysts argue the fight for power in Thailand is more than a grudge match between the polarising Shinawatra clan and its influential rivals, with signs of a generational shift and hankering for more progressive government.
Move Forward, led by 42-year-old Harvard alumnus Pita Limjaroenrat, has seen a late surge. It is banking on young people, including 3.3 million eligible first-time voters, to back its plans to dismantle monopolies, weaken the military's political role and amend a strict law against insulting the monarchy that critics say is used to stifle dissent.
"The election is a test of the conservative roots and the future of progressiveness," said Ben Kiatkwankul, partner at government affairs advisory Maverick Consulting Group.
"The issue is bigger than whether people like or dislike Thaksin or Prayuth. Now it's the old system facing off against the liberalist wave."
($1 = 33.85 baht)
Reuters
Sun May 14 2023
Pheu Thai's prime ministerial candidates Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Srettha Thavisin react as they attend a major rally event ahead of the upcoming election, in Bangkok, Thailand, May 12, 2023. REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo
Suami kongsi gambar nikah, netizen beri kata-kata semangat buat Irma Hasmie
Perkongsian Redza menimbulkan respons yang pelbagai dalam kalangan netizen. Beberapa peminat turut dilihat memberikan kata-kata semangat kepada Irma.
Kotak hitam helikopter mendarat cemas di Pulau Angsa dihantar ke Itali
Kotak hitam helikopter AW139 milik Maritim Malaysia yang melakukan pendaratan cemas di sekitar perairan Pulau Angsa, Kuala Selangor telah dihantar ke Itali.
Leftenan Muda Min Youn satu-satunya penuntut bangsa Cina tamat latihan Komando
Leftenan Muda Chan Ming Youn dari Batalion Kedua Rejimen Renjer Diraja menjadi satu-satunya penuntut berbangsa cina yang berjaya menamatkan Kursus Asas Komando Gerup Gerak Khas (GGK) baru-baru ini.
Kawalan sempadan dipertingkat di sempadan Malaysia-Thailand
Polis Kelantan memantau perkembangan kejadian letupan dan insiden tembak menembak di Sungai Golok awal pagi Isnin dengan meningkatkan kawalan keselamatan di sempadan negara.
Pelancongan China dijangka meningkat
Sektor pelancongan China dijangka menyaksikan lonjakan berikutan perkembangan pasaran yang dibawa oleh Festival Qingming awal bulan ini.
Pelabur asing akhiri jualan lapan minggu, aliran masuk RM292 juta
Pelabur asing kembali menjadi pembeli bersih ekuiti domestik minggu lalu dengan nilai pembelian bersih berjumlah RM292.2 juta, menurut penyelidikan MIDF Research.
Sarawak komited jalin kerjasama denga Sweden
Lawatan kerja itu sebagai membalas jemputan oleh Menteri Perbadanan Pembangunan Antarabangsa Sweden Johan Forssel semasa pertemuan mereka tahun lepas.
Akaun fleksibel penuhi keperluan kecemasan M40, B40
Pengeluaran dijangka sederhana berikutan KWSP pada 2021 menganggarkan bahawa 60 peratus ahlinya telah kehabisan baki Akaun 2, kini dinamakan sebagai Akaun Sejahtera berikutan kemudahan pengeluaran yang disediakan ketika pandemik.
Kuota generasi solar komersial, industri capai 80 peratus
IHH Healthcare Malaysia mencatatkan pencapaian baharu dengan melancarkan inisiatif pemasangan panel solar di seluruh rangkaian hospitalnya sekali gus menjadikannya pelopor bagi sektor kemudahan dan perkhidmatan penjagaan kesihatan swasta di negara ini.
Krisis iklim, kanak-kanak paling terjejas - UNICEF
Salah satu syarat pemberian status CFCI ialah penyertaan kanak-kanak yang bermakna dan inklusif, di mana suara kanak-kanak dan remaja boleh didengari dalam keputusan majlis bandar raya, termasuk dalam aspek membina bandar berdaya tahan.
Thailand: Enam muka baharu sertai Kabinet Srettha
Perdana Menteri Thailand Srettha Thavisin melantik enam menteri kabinet baharu.
Thailand, 17 lagi negara gesa pembebasan segera tawanan di Gaza
Pemimpin 18 negara dalam satu kenyataan bersama menggesa pembebasan segera semua tawanan termasuk warganegara mereka sendiri yang ditahan Hamas di Gaza.
Malaysia perlu masa untuk teliti cadangan visa bersama enam negara ASEAN
Malaysia memerlukan lebih masa untuk meneliti cadangan Thailand mengenai program visa bersama dengan enam negara ASEAN lain.
Malaysia, Thailand tingkatkan kerjasama perangi jenayah rentas sempadan
Kerjasama itu telah dibincangkan ketika mesyuarat dua hala beliau dengan Timbalan Perdana Menteri merangkap Menteri Dalam Negeri Thailand Anutin Charnvirakul pada Khamis.
Konflik Myanmar: ASEAN tegas kepentingan laksana Konsensus Lima Perkara
ASEAN tegaskan semula komitmen bantu Myanmar cari penyelesaian dengan mewujudkan persekitaran kondusif melalu pelaksanaan Konsensus Lima Perkara.
Suspek kes tembak di KLIA dipercayai cuba lari ke luar negara melalui Thailand
Suspek dipercayai membuat pemeriksaan kesihatan di sebuah hospital swasta lebih awal sebelum kejadian tembakan di KLIA berlaku.
Kedutaan Thailand pantau rapat konflik Iran-Israel
Semua kedutaan Thailand di rantau Timur Tengah telah diarahkan untuk terus memantau ketegangan antara Iran dan Israel.
Usaha ubah stigma, tujuh wakil rakyat berbaju Melayu ke Parlimen Thailand
Kesemua mereka merupakan wakil rakyat dari Parti Prachachart dari tiga wilayah majoriti Melayu di Selatan Thailand.
Ranking pasukan bola sepak Vietnam merudum selepas kekalahan dalam aksi kelayakan
Skuad itu kehilangan 30.04 mata selepas dua kekalahan berturut-turut kepada Indonesia pada Mac.
Thailand dan UK akan bentuk perkongsian strategik
Thailand dan United Kingdom akan mengumumkan secara rasmi hubungan mereka sebagai satu Perkongsian Strategik pada Rabu.