Thai Election 2019: Need to know

Thai voters are about to have their voices heard for the first time in eight years, writes Purawich Watanasukh. 

After five postponements, Thailand's general election is scheduled to take place on March 24, 2019. It will be the first election since the coup in May 2014 led by the military junta, which came to be known as The National Council for Peace and Order.

Here are five things to know ahead of Thailand's election. 

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It's the first election in eight years

The election on March 24 will be Thailand's first in eight years, counting from the last successful election in July 2011.

In that election, the Pheu Thai Party, affiliated with ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, won a majority in parliament. Thaksin's sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, became Thailand's first-ever female prime minister.

The government attempted to hold an election in February 2014, but protesters disrupted voting in many constituencies. The election was later declared "unconstitutional" by the Constitutional Court, and the military coup took place on May 22, 2014.

The 2019 election will be a crucial test of the junta's legitimacy. It's also an opportunity for Thai voters to have their voices heard after almost five years under the military regime. A historic turnout is expected — more than two million have enrolled for advance voting.

The prime minister can come from outside parliament

An electoral victory does not guarantee the winning party will form a government and have its leader become prime minister.

The three prime ministerial candidates that each party is allowed to nominate are not required to be an MP or party member. This allows an "unelected" prime minister. If parliament fails to select a prime minister from a list of nominations, it may select the prime minister from outside the list.

The new constitution weakens the power of voters

In 2017, the junta introduced a new constitution, which Thai people approved in a referendum. It is the 20th constitution in Thailand since the abolition of absolute monarchy in 1932.

The new constitution introduced the "Mixed-Member Apportionment" (MMA) system, a modified version of the Mixed-Member Proportional system. There are 350 constituency seats and 150 party list seats. Voters will cast their votes in a single ballot paper by choosing an electorate MP.

MMA is thought to benefit medium-sized parties, decreasing the possibility of a landslide victory for big parties as happened in previous elections won by Pheu Thai.

A single party winning a majority of votes would not necessarily gain a majority of seats, thanks to the way that the new constitution allocates constituency and party list seats. 350 of the 500 lower house seats will go to constituency politicians, with smaller parties favoured in the allocation of the 150 party list seats.

It is likely to produce a fragmented multi-party system, which could lead to an unstable coalition government.

'Independent agencies' may scrutinise elected governments

The new constitution granted political powers to a number of existing independent agencies.

For example, the National Anti-Corruption Commission has the potential to press charges against politicians and senior officials on corruption and abuse of power. The Electoral Commission has the authority to disqualify candidates if a constituency election is suspected to be fraudulent. The Constitutional Court has the ability to rule on party dissolution and the dismissal of top officials, including the prime minister.

These agencies have become controversial due to questions of impartiality and legitimacy. Technically, the appointments of candidates for top positions in these agencies are approved and confirmed by the Senate. In practice, the junta-installed parliament - the National Legislative Assembly - approved new candidates, some of which are speculated to have existing relationships with the junta.

Ultimately, the 2017 Constitution is likely to create a form of "guided democracy" after the election.

Junta-appointed senators can vote for the prime minister

The junta can appoint 250 senators, who are regarded as a "political stronghold" for the junta to retain power and influence after the election. Under the 2017 Constitution, the Thai parliament is a bicameral chamber, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives consists of 500 elected MPs (350 electorate MPs and 150 party list MPs), while the Senate consists of 250 senators, who are selected and appointed by the junta according to the five-year transitory provision.

Among 250 senators there are six ex officio senators, including the supreme commander of the armed forces, the army chief, the navy chief, the air force chief,  the permanent secretary of the defence ministry, and the police chief.

The 2017 Constitution also allows the 250 junta-appointed senators to vote for the prime minister. The prime minister candidate must secure more than half of the total parliamentary votes - more than 375 votes from both houses - to be selected. If a parliament fails to select a new prime minister, the constitution also allows a special mechanism to be activated by the vote of two-thirds of MPs and senators.

Apart from the prime minister vote, the Senate also has the power to monitor elected governments' compliance with the junta-passed "20-Year National Strategy". Governments are required to implement the strategy, or face criminal charges and impeachment. Senate support is also required to amend the current constitution.

 - Asia Media Centre