Thailand votes for general election constitutional referendum

Thai voters are also participating in a constitutional referendum asking whether to begin writing a new constitution. Otherwise, the current 2017 constitution written under military rule following the 2014 coup would remain in place.

A simple majority of elected lawmakers will select the next prime minister.

Thailand is witnessing one of its most turbulent times, having changed governments three times in less than three years.

The vote follows the December 2025 dissolution of parliament by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, marking a critical turning point for Southeast Asia's second-largest economy after a year of political turbulence and shifting alliances, the Thai News Agency reported. The election is also set against a backdrop of tensions along its land border with Cambodia.

While more than 50 parties are contesting the polls, the contest is primarily between the progressive People's Party (PP), the military-backed conservative Bhumjaithai Party (BJT), and Pheu Thai.

Local media outlets, including Thairath online, have reported that key issues that have featured in the election campaign include cost of living, economic recovery and political reform.

The Pheu Thai party, backed by currently jailed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, trades on the populist policies of the Thai Rak Thai party, which held power from 2001 until 2006, when it was ousted by a military coup, Al Jazeera reported.

Early voting took place on February 1, with more than 2 million people casting their ballots. Thailand's Election Commission said the advance voting process mostly went smoothly nationwide, but some issues were reported, such as incorrect election district codes written on ballot envelopes, reported local news outlet The Nation.

Each voter will receive three ballot papers, two for the general election and one for the national referendum. The general election uses a two-ballot system - voters cast one vote for a local constituency candidate and another for a political party.

Of the 500 seats in the House of Representatives, 400 are constituency seats, and the candidate with the most votes in each district wins. The 100 party-list seats are allocated proportionally based on each party's share of votes nationwide.

Counting begins immediately after polls close at 5 pm. Ballots for constituency MPs, party-list MPs and the referendum will be counted consecutively.

Upon the announcement of the official results, the 500-seat parliament will convene within 15 days to elect a prime minister, who needs to secure a simple majority of 251 votes.

A candidate would need to garner support of more than half of the lower house's 500 members to become prime minister.

If a candidate fails, the house must convene again, and the process is repeated for other candidates until a premier is chosen, with no time limit on this process. (ANI)