Thai Election Set for July 3

Wittaya Yensabai 16.05.2011 07:15

It is now up to the people to decide at the polling booth who will next lead a divided Thailand.

Thailand's long-promised general election will be held on July 3 after the way was cleared by His Majesty the King endorsing a royal decree to dissolve the lower house of Parliament, the House of Representatives, Government Spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn announced.

He said “His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej has endorsed the royal decree to dissolve the House. The election will be held on 3 July.”

During its tenure of two-and-one half years, the Abhisit administration's Democrat-led coalition has encountered both political turbulence and economic problems, resulting in demands for the premier's resignation or the dissolution of Parliament.

One major crisis taking place during the Abhisit administration has been the repeated demonstrations of the anti-government Red Shirt 'United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD)' which last year culminated in violence and the death of 90 people that included protesters, soldiers and civilians.

The prime minister earlier reasserted to anti-government groups that the lower House would be dissolved only when economic conditions are favourable and political divisiveness is diminished.

The term of the Democrat-led government was due to finish at the end of this year. It is the 12th Thai government having ended with the dissolution of the House. The last dissolution took place on Feb 24, 2006 when fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra announced the move following the pressure from the yellow-clad People's Alliance for Democracy.

Under the terms of dissolution, the authority of the Abhisit Cabinet ends with the royal decree to dissolve the parliament, but a caretaker government will run the country until a new Cabinet is appointed following the General Election.

The caretaker Cabinet has legitimacy to announce the enforcement of measures to ensure national security such as a state of emergency or martial law, but is prohibited from transferring civil servants or government officials, and approving any project which will be binding to the new government.