Campaigns for the next election can officially begin Sep 24

Election season is upon us! On September 24, the current term for the House of Representatives will have exactly 180 days left which means the campaigning can officially begin for the next general election. The Election Commission made the announcement yesterday, opening the door for political parties and hopeful candidates to begin their push to be elected.

The rules are outlined in section 68 of the Organic Act which set out details of when campaign season can begin. It states that, when a current term of the House of Representatives has 180 days remaining, politicians can begin campaigning for the next general election. This is different from some countries where campaigns can last for years and often start just after the previous election.

One exception to the rule though: if the House is dissolved before the 180-day mark, campaigning can begin immediately until the next set election date. Barring the dissolution of the House of Representatives, the next general election is expected to occur sometime in March of next year.

Despite the official start date for the election season still being a week away, many political parties have not waited to begin holding rallies, making official statements, and stirring up support for their parties and their candidates. Several candidates have already been predicted or have officially thrown their hats in the ring for offices up to and including the prime ministership.

The Bhumjaithai Party recently lashed out at their rivals the Democrat Party, lambasting the party over the current rubber price. Meanwhile, in the northern and northeastern provinces of Thailand where they have always performed well, the Pheu Thai Party have been holding rallies to begin to drum up enthusiasm ahead of the official election season.

With the controversy over the term limits of suspended Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and whether he can be reinstated as the country’s leader or not, politics has been at the forefront of the news already in the past few months. With campaign season set to begin, one can expect politics to dominate the news for months to come until the next general election.

SOURCE: Thai Newsroom