Thailand: Paetongtarn Shinawatra leads opinion polls ahead of upcoming elections after parliament dissolution

Thailand parliament was dissolved on Monday (March 20), paving the way for an election sometime in May. The election is set to pit the billionaire Shinawatra family which has dominated the elections for over two decades against the military-linked candidates. This comes after King Maha Vajiralongkorn endorsed a decree to dissolve the parliament, as per an announcement in the Royal Gazette.

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is expected to be her party Pheu Thai’s candidate. She had previously said that she is campaigning to win by a landslide. According to the announcement in the Royal Gazette, “This is a return of political decision-making power to the people swiftly to continue democratic government with the King as head of state.”

An election must be held within 45 to 60 days after the parliament’s dissolution. While no official date for the election has been announced, a report by Reuters citing two sources said the voting will take place on May 14.

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The election will also see the participation of incumbent Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. The 68-year-old came to power in 2014 following a coup and will run in the upcoming election under a new party named United Thai Nation.

According to opinion surveys, Prayuth is trailing behind Paetongtarn after her support jumped by 10 points to 38.2 per cent over the weekend, reported Reuters. Parties associated with the prominent Shinavatra family have won the most seats in every election in Thailand since 2001. However, their elected leaders have also been repeatedly ousted.

Paetongtarn’s aunt, Yingluck was forced out of office in 2014 following a court ruling, while Paetongtarn’s father Thaksin was ousted by a military coup in 2006; both currently live in exile. While the Shinawatra family, which has controlled three governments previously, is loathed by the royalist military establishment, they are popular among Thailand’s working class and rural areas of the north and north-east.

The election in May also comes after mass protests led by the country’s youth which challengedThailand’s establishment amid calls for curbing the power of the country’s monarchy and re-writing the military-backed constitution. Months later when the protests halted the government began filing cases against the protesters where nearly 2,000 people including 284 people under the age of 18 were charged.

(With inputs from agencies)

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