Thailand Holds Parliamentary Elections Amid Constitutional Referendum

Thailand's parliamentary elections commenced on February 8 at 8 a.m. local time, with voting set to continue until 5 p.m. According to Jin10, the Thai Election Commission reports that 57 political parties are competing for 500 seats in the lower house, with over 90 candidates nominated for the prime minister position. The official vote count must be completed by April 9. The newly elected parliament is required to convene within 15 days to elect a speaker, followed by the selection of a new prime minister through a vote in the lower house. Concurrently, a constitutional referendum is being held to decide whether to authorize the parliament to initiate a constitutional amendment process, potentially replacing the current constitution established by the military in 2017.