'7 Days Until General Election' Thailand Begins Early Voting... 500 House Seats at Stake

Bhumjaithai Party and Progressive Move Forward Party in a Tight Race

Thailand has begun early voting just one week ahead of its general election.

According to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency and other sources on the 1st (local time), early voting for the Thai general election started at 8 a.m. on this day. About 2 million voters who will not be able to cast their ballots on the official election day, which falls on the 8th, are expected to participate in early voting. Voters receive two ballots: one to select a candidate for their local constituency in the House of Representatives and another for the proportional representation list.

Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister of Thailand, is speaking at the special session for leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit held at Gyeongju Arts Center, Gyeongbuk, in October last year. 2025.10.30 Photo by Jinhyung Kang

Early voting will end at 5 p.m., and the early ballots will be counted together with the main ballots after the general election concludes on the 8th.

In this Thai general election, a total of 500 members of the House of Representatives will be newly elected, including 400 constituency representatives and 100 proportional representatives. According to the Election Commission of Thailand, 57 political parties have fielded candidates for this election. More than 90 individuals are running for the position of prime minister.

Previously, in December of last year, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul of Thailand was nominated as the prime ministerial candidate for the Bhumjaithai Party, which he leads. The conservative Bhumjaithai Party is currently neck and neck in public opinion polls with the progressive Move Forward Party, which was the largest party in the previous House of Representatives. The Pheu Thai Party, backed by the family of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is closely trailing behind by a narrow margin.

Local experts widely believe that no party will secure a majority of seats in this election. There is growing speculation that a coalition government will be formed through negotiations after the election. Previously, the Bhumjaithai Party participated in the ruling coalition led by the Pheu Thai Party after placing third in the 2023 general election.

After being elected with the support of the Move Forward Party in September last year, Prime Minister Anutin, just three months into his term, found himself facing a no-confidence situation due to conflicts with the Move Forward Party in December. He then dissolved parliament with royal approval and called for an early general election.