BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand, the second largest economy in Southeast Asia, will hold a general election on Sunday, pitting pro-democracy parties that are surging in popularity against those backed by military-linked conservatives.
Here are the main parties, developments and issues so far.
THE PARTIES
*Pheu Thai, a party backed by the billionaire Shinawatra family, has a big lead in opinion polls. Family patriarch and former premier Thaksin Shinawatra has announced plans to return from self-exile, causing a stir just days before the polls.
*In second place is the youth-led Move Forward party, which is gaining momentum three years after student-led protests rocked Thailand by challenging conservative norms.
*Incumbent Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is lagging behind the opposition in polls but electoral rules written by his former military junta mean he can’t be counted out.
THE ISSUES
*The enduring animosity between the military-royalist establishment and opposition parties challenging the status quo, which has shaped Thai politics for decades, is playing out again.
*Thailand has one of the highest household debt to GDP ratios in Asia, a key challenge that political parties are promising to solve through wage increases or debt moratoriums.
*Thailand’s decriminalisation of cannabis last year has become an election football with the opposition criticising the ruling coalition for rushing it while farmers suffer in limbo.
THE PERSONALITIES
*Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin’s youngest daughter, is a prime ministerial candidate for Pheu Thai. The 36-year-old gave birth during the campaign but quickly went back to the hustings.
*More than a dozen activists from a student-led protest movement are taking their once-taboo cause from the streets to the ballot box as candidates, including for Move Forward.
*Thailand’s health minister who championed the legalisation of cannabis is hoping to gain more clout after the elections, with expectations he could emerge as a key power broker.
CONTEXT STORIES
*EXPLAINER-What you need to know about Thailand’s election
*FACTBOX-Parties contesting Thailand’s election
*FACTBOX-Who are the main contenders for Thailand’s next leader?
*TIMELINE-A tumultuous two decades in Thailand’s politics
*FACTBOX-Election promises of Thailand’s major parties
(Compiled by Devjyot Ghoshal)
