Bangkok, Feb 8 (EFE).- Thailand closed polling stations on Sunday following a heavy-turnout election day that combined parliamentary polls with a referendum on replacing the constitution imposed under military rule.
Nearly 53 million Thais were eligible to vote and elect the 500 members of the House of Representatives, who will be tasked with choosing the next prime minister from April.
No major incidents were reported during the voting process.
Polling stations closed at 5:00 p.m. local time (10:00 GMT), and preliminary results are expected to be released in the coming hours.
According to pre-election polls, the reformist People’s Party (PP) was favored to emerge as the most-voted force, followed by the conservative Bhumjaithai Party (BJT, Thai Pride), in a country where political life remains strongly influenced by the monarchy and the military and marked by a long history of coups d’état.
Surveys indicated that neither party would secure the 251 seats required for an absolute majority, forcing negotiations to form a governing coalition.
The snap elections were called by interim Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of Bhumjaithai, after a prolonged period of political instability in which Thailand has had three prime ministers since the May 2023 elections.
In those elections, the reformist platform, then running under the name Move Forward (Avanzar), won unexpectedly but was unable to form a government due to a veto by the Senate appointed by the former military government.
That system has since changed, and the upper house no longer participates in the selection of the prime minister.
Alongside the parliamentary vote, citizens also took part in a referendum on whether the country should initiate a process to replace the current Constitution.
Long lines and a steady flow of voters at nearly 100,000 polling stations nationwide pointed to high turnout, similar to the 2023 elections, when participation exceeded 75 percent. EFE
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