No party is expected to win a clear majority in Sunday’s vote, raising fears of political instability.

Voting has begun in Thailand’s closely watched general election, with progressive reformists, military-backed conservatives and populist forces vying for control.

Polling stations open at 8am local time (01:00 GMT) on Sunday and are expected to close at 5pm (10:00 GMT).

According to the Election Commission, more than 2.2 million voters have cast their ballots during early voting, which began on February 1.

The fight to win over Thailand’s 53 million registered voters comes against a backdrop of slow economic growth and rising nationalist sentiment.

Although more than 50 parties are participating in the election, only three parties – the People’s Party, the Democratic Party and Pheu Thai – have the national organization and popularity to win the election.

With 500 parliamentary seats at stake and surveys consistently showing that no one party is likely to win an outright majority, coalition talks appear inevitable. A simple majority of elected MPs will select the next Prime Minister.

this progressive people’s partyThe party led by Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut is expected to win the most seats. But the party’s reform platform, which includes promises to curb the influence of the military and courts and break with economic policies, remains unacceptable to its rivals, who may try to exclude it by joining forces to form a government.

The party is the successor to the Kadima Party, which won the most seats in the House of Representatives in 2023 but was blocked by the military-appointed Senate and later dissolved by the Constitutional Court over calls to reform Thailand’s strict royal insult laws.

bumjetaiThe alliance, led by caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, is seen as the main defender and first choice of the royalist military establishment.

Anutin has been prime minister only since September last year and previously served in the cabinet of former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was forced to step down due to ethical violations in his handling of relations with Cambodia. Anutin dissolved parliament in December and called new elections after being threatened with a vote of no confidence.

He has focused his campaign on economic stimulus and national security, tapping into nationalist fervor sparked by a deadly border conflict with neighboring Cambodia.

The third main contender is Pheu Thai, representing the latest incarnation of the political movement backed by the jailed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatraand capitalized on the populist policies of the Thai Rak Thai Party, which was in power from 2001 to 2006, when it was ousted in a military coup.

The party campaigned on populist promises of economic recovery and cash handouts and named Thaksin’s nephew Yodchanan Wongsawat as its leading candidate for prime minister.

Sunday’s vote also includes a referendum asking voters whether Thailand should replace the 2017 military-drafted constitution.

Pro-democracy groups see the new charter as a key step in reducing the influence of non-elected institutions such as the military and judiciary, while conservatives warn it could lead to instability.