THAILAND‘S King Maha Vajiralongkorn has issued a royal decree on the dissolution of parliament which took effect on Monday, the 20th of March.
The decree paved the way for Prime Minister Prayut Chan o cha to officially dissolve the parliament which marks the beginning of the campaign season.
Under the constitution, an election must take place 45 to 60 days from the dissolution of parliament.
Thai elections are traditionally held every Sunday.
Dissolving the house will give parliamentarians 30 days to switch parties.
The upcoming general elections are expected to be a fiercely contested event.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha’s new United Thai Nation party will be challenged mainly by the opposition Pheu Thai party which continues to top opinion polls.
Its nominee, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, leads other prime minister candidates at 38.2%.
36-year-old Paetongtarn is the daughter of billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra and the niece of Yingluck Shinawatra who both served as former prime ministers of Thailand whose governments have been toppled by a military coup in 2006 and 2026, respectively.
The Election Commission is set to announce the official poll date later this week.
