Parliamentary elections in Thailand (2014)

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<br><br>Early parliamentary elections in Thailand took place on February 2, 2014, following the dissolution of parliament as a result of the 2013 political crisis. The elections were 500 deputies of the House of Representatives, the lower house of the country’s parliament.<br><br>Voting in 69 of 375 constituencies was thwarted by the opposition calling for a boycott of the elections. Some of these constituencies were re-voted on March 2, 2014. The rest of the districts were also scheduled to hold reruns, but on March 21, 2014, the Constitutional Court of Thailand declared the elections invalid because they were not held simultaneously throughout the country.<br>Context<br>After the Thai party tried to pass an amnesty law, the opposition accused it of trying to bring back former Prime Minister Thaksin Chinnawatra, convicted in absentia, who was hiding abroad to avoid punishment. After that, unrest and unrest began, which led to the demand of the protesters for the withdrawal of the government and the expulsion of the Chinnawatra family from the country’s politics. After opposition members of parliament began to leave parliament en masse, the next day, December 9, Prime Minister Yinglak Shinawatra (Thaksin Chinnawatra’s younger sister) asked the king to dissolve parliament early and announce early elections in order to resolve the political crisis that had arisen. Opposition leader Suthep Thaugsuban nevertheless said that the protests will continue until the people’s council is formed, as the goal of the protests has not yet been achieved. The leader of the Democratic Party, Abhisit Vejachiva, said that his party would not participate in the elections.<br>Vote<br>On January 26, demonstrators blocked access to many polling stations in Bangkok and southern Thailand, namely, they surrounded polling stations and closed the doors with chains, which prevented voters who were going to vote early. At the same time, opposition leaders previously promised that they would not interfere with the voting. Thailand’s has called on the government to postpone the elections by three months due to the unstable situation.<br><br>On February 2, voting in the general election ended. Voting was disrupted in 13 of 33 polling stations in Bangkok and 37 of 56 in southern Thailand due to anti-government demonstrations by the Democratic Party, but the elections were generally peaceful. The voting took place under the heavy protection of law enforcement agencies, numbering more than 130 thousand employees. For example, in Bangkok alone, 12 thousand people provided law enforcement. After a 10.8% vote was disrupted, Thailand’s Central Election Commission refused to announce the election results. The results will be announced after February 23rd. By this time, additional voting will be held in the remaining polling stations.<br><br>On February 12, the Constitutional Court of Thailand refused to invalidate the election results due to the lack of necessary grounds for this. The claim was filed by the Democratic Party. Oppositionists argued that the last elections were unconstitutional, since numerous violations were committed during the voting.<br>Declaring elections invalid and new elections<br>On March 21, Thailand’s Constitutional Court invalidated the results of the February 2 parliamentary elections. The court concluded that the vote did not comply with the country’s constitution due to the fact that a number of local election commissions, under pressure from opposition demonstrators, did not open stations, and thus the elections did not take place on the same day throughout the country. The Constitutional Court also recommended that the interim government immediately begin consultations on the holding of new elections.<br><br>On April 16, Thailand’s Election Commission spokesman Somchai Sisutthiyakon said the new government could begin work in October, provided that the National Assembly is elected at the end of July 2014. According to him, the commission could organize new elections on July 20 and 27, using new technologies that do not allow the opposition to block the offices of election commissions even at the stage of submitting applications from candidates for deputies, as it was before. This time, Sisutthiyakon notes, it will be possible to apply for registration via the Internet and “if everything does not go so badly, the parliament will be able to start its work in September. And in October a new cabinet of ministers will be elected “. On April 22, the Election Commission met with political parties in Thailand to discuss the possibility of new elections to the National Assembly. The opposition Democratic Party, which boycotted the elections, also took part. According to Thai law, a party that has twice refused to participate in the election race must be disbanded. Despite the existing threat of dissolution, the final decision has not yet been made<br><br>On April 30, a representative from Thailand’s Election Commission announced an agreement with Prime Minister Yinglak Chinnawatra to re-hold the parliamentary elections on July 20, 2014. This date must be formally approved by King Bhumibon Adulyadej. The leader of the Democratic Party, Abhisit Vejjachiva, said that his party will go to the polls if their proposals for further reforming the political system are accepted. The leader of the demonstrators, Suthep Taugsuban, also speaks of this, insisting that elections can only be held after a global electoral reform.<br><br>On May 15, a spokesman for the Election Commission of the Kingdom of Somchai Sisutthiyakon said that “we will not be able to hold elections on 20 July. The appointment of a different election date will depend on when we can meet with the government, “after a meeting between the electoral committee and Acting Prime Minister Nivatthumrong Bunsongpaisan was thwarted by opposition members who burst into the building.<br>

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