Thai political parties on yesterday held their largest rallies yet, two days ahead of the country’s first election since a military coup nearly five years ago, but one that critics say will deny power to the most popular party.
Making his first appearance at an official campaign event, Prime Minister and junta leader Prayut Chan-o-cha was greeted with his nickname of “Uncle Tu” by supporters of a pro-army party that has nominated him as its prime ministerial candidate.
The opposition Pheu Thai party gathered separately in Bangkok before sunset for last-gasp campaigning.
Pheu Thai, removed from power by the military in 2014, is linked to ousted ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, a former telecommunication tycoon whose loyalists have won every general election since 2001.
Tomorrow’s general elections have been cast as a high-stakes contest between democracy and military rule, but critics believe they have been rigged by a new army-backed constitution giving military-appointed officials a large say in the next government.
The military government says the new rules will bring stability after more than a decade of fractious, at times violent, politics.
Thailand’s largest party, Pheu Thai, is leading the charge for a “democratic front” of parties against Palang Pracharat, a new military proxy party backing Prayut.
“We are here to lift you out of despair,” its main prime ministerial candidate, Sudarat Keyuraphan, told cheering supporters. “Happiness and a thriving economy both lie at the tips of your pens on March 24.”
Thaksin, who has been in self-exile since a 2008 corruption conviction, attended his youngest daughter’s wedding in Hong Kong yesterday. In a video clip put online by Thai media outlet, Khaosod English, he urged Thai guests to vote.
“We will win for sure,” he said, without elaborating.
Without directly referring to the party, Thaksin said the wedding had to be held before the vote, or too many people would have turned out to attend, a hint at celebrations.
Palang Pracharat adopted a new slogan ahead of the vote that features Prayut’s nickname, “Choose peace, choose ‘Uncle Tu’.”
Prayut came on stage to cheers and music, waving to the crowd and accepting roses from supporters as a massive television screen showed a video of his years as the junta leader, harvesting rice and hugging children.
Backers of the military have warned Thailand could be plunged back into political unrest in case of a return to power for Pheu Thai, which has been under investigation for “outside influence”, an inquiry that could see it disbanded.
Asked yesterday if another coup was possible after the poll, deputy junta leader Prawit Wongsuwan replied, “No, no, no.”
Pheu Thai’s long-time rival, the Democrat Party, also held a final rally in Bangkok.
Pro-establishment and pro-business, it hopes to hold the key to power after an inconclusive election, returning its leader, Abhisit Vejjajiva, to the prime minister’s office he held
unelected from 2008 to 2011.
Polls indicate Pheu Thai will again be the top vote-winner, and it hopes with its allies to make up the largest bloc in the 500-seat House of Representatives.
But that may not matter, because the new constitution written by the junta allows parliament’s upper house, the 250-seat Senate, to vote with the lower house to choose the prime minister - and the Senate is entirely appointed by the junta.
The magic number of seats parties or alliances need to secure to form a government is 376, or one more than half the total number in the two houses of
parliament.
With the military choosing all Senate members, pro-military parties would probably need to win only 126 seats in the House of Representatives to win a
majority in a combined vote.
Pheu Thai urged voters to take a strategic view.
“The rules in this election are designed to put the people at a disadvantage. If you don’t want to give in to despair, you need to vote strategically,” it said in a Facebook post early yesterday. “You need to vote for Pheu Thai for a landslide win!”
Parties and candidates are allowed to campaign until 6pm (1100 GMT) today.
The next day, 93,200 polling stations will be open from 8am to 5pm (0100 GMT to 1000 GMT).
The election commission has said unofficial results will be available three hours after the stations close on Sunday.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha attends the last Palang Pracharath Party’s party campaign rally in central Bangkok yesterday.
