Elections could be held in Thailand later this year as a result of a proposed dissolution of the Thai parliament.
Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, Prawit Wongsuwan, has suggested that the Thai House of Representatives should be dissolved in November in the wake of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which Thailand is hosting.
Reuters reports that Prawit Wongsuwan met with parliamentarians from a 17-party coalition on Monday to discuss the possible dissolution. Prawit said that ultimately the decision of whether to dissolve the House of Representatives and subsequently call for an election would be up to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
The Prime Minister has not announced whether he supports the proposal, saying his decision “depends on the situation.” The Prime Minister is the protégé of deputy prime minister Prawit, a retired general.
PM Prayut has been in power since a coup in 2014. An election was also held in 2019.
The proposed 2022 election would be the first to utilize a new two-ballot system. Critics say that this new balloting system would keep small parties from earning representation in the House of Representatives
PM Prayut will be meeting with some party leaders on Thursday to discuss the situation. However, he has dismissed calls to change the new electoral system, saying that it is too late to alter the constitutional amendments bill which dictates the new electoral process.
