Polls open for Thailand's first election since a 2014 military coup, a vote that is seen as a contest between junta leader Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and a 'democratic front' of anti-junta parties
Thailand's vote is viewed as a contest between junta leader Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha – who wants to stay on as the elected leader – and a"democratic front" of anti-junta parties.
About 51 million Thais are eligible to vote. Leaders of political parties opposed to military rule have urged a high turnout as the only way to derail Prayuth's plans. Political parties and their main leaders held their final major rallies on Friday evening in Bangkok. Prayuth, dressed in a white button-down shirt with rolled-up sleeves, pumped his fist into the air as he took the stage at a rally for the military-backed Palang Pracharath party.When it seized power in 2014, the military said it was to end political unrest that had periodically turned violent and disrupted daily life and the economy. The claim has been a major selling point for Prayuth.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn did not refer to any of the sides in Sunday's election. However, his message less than 12 hours before voting booths were to open was a startling departure from the approach of his late father, who in his latter years kept a distance between the monarchy and politics. The palace said the king recalled comments made in 1969 by his father about the need "to promote good people to govern the country and to prevent bad people from power and creating chaos".Earlier on Saturday, an international observer group said it would face limitations in judging the election, partly because it was granted accreditation too late to get all its monitors into Thailand.
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