Next Thai general election

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General elections in Thailand are expected to be held in late 2016 or early 2017. Civil rights, including the right to vote, have been suspended following a military coup in May 2014.[1]

Background

Early general elections were held on 2 February 2014 after Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra asked King Bhumibol Adulyadej to dissolve parliament more than a year early due to a political crisis. The leaders of the umbrella anti-government movement objected to the polls, instead demanding that there be "reform before elections" and the Yingluck government be replaced with a royally-appointed "reform council".[2] The elections were thus boycotted by the main opposition party, the Democrat Party, and disruption by protesters meant that voting in some constituencies had to be delayed until a later date, while absentee voters in urban areas were unable to vote.[3]

In April 2014 the Constitutional Court ruled that the election was unconstitutional because the vote had not taken place on the same day nationwide.[4] Following an agreement between the Election Commission and Yingluck's government, the fresh elections were set for 20 July.[4] However, the elections were cancelled after a coup d'état in May deposed the elected government and installed a military government known as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), led by General Prayuth Chan-ocha, then-Commander in Chief of the Royal Thai Army. The NCPO, when taking power, declared its intention to hold general elections after carrying out reforms and promulgating a new constitution.

Date

Shortly after the coup, Prayuth said that elections would likely be held "by the end of 2015". By late 2014, however, several government officials had said publicly that elections would not be held until 2016, around mid-year.[5]

In May 2015, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said that elections would now be held “around August or in September” 2016, after the government announced its intention to hold a referendum on its draft constitution, which would likely be held sometime in early 2016.[6]

In June, Prayuth said that he was willing to stay in office for another two years if people "wanted him to", following a push by the National Reform Council (NRC), a government body, to hold a vote on whether or not the government's reforms should be completed before elections were held. This would mean general elections might potentially not be held until early 2018, but a few days later distanced himself from the NRC's initiative after facing backlash for his remarks, saying "I'm not interested. It's all about the roadmap. Stop asking me [about the matter]."[7] This, however, left the door open to the "completion of the reforms" under another government that would also see elections further postponed, if the NRC's initiative succeeded.

References

  1. ↑ Thailand elections not for a year, says coup leader BBC News, 30 May 2014
  2. ↑ "Suthep declares 'people's revolt'". Bangkok Post. 30 November 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  3. ↑ "Doubt over poll outcome". The Nation (Thailand). 3 February 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  4. 1 2 Thailand to hold fresh election on 20 July BBC News, 30 April 2014
  5. ↑ Yueh, Linda (26 November 2014). "Thailand's elections could be delayed until 2016". BBC World News (BBC). Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  6. ↑ Peel, Michael (19 May 2015). "Generals postpone Thailand elections for at least six more months". Financial Times. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  7. ↑ "PM backpedals on staying on". The Nation (Thailand) (Nation Multimedia Group). 9 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
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