Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he submitted the dissolution decree to King Bhumibol Adulyadej for royal approval before going to Indonesia to attend a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Abhisit said he will give a news conference Monday after he returns, where he is expected to announce the actual dissolution and election date. Polls must be held within 45-60 days of dissolving the house.
Thailand has been gripped by political turmoil since 2006, when the military staged a coup. The country has been politically unstable since, with sometimes violent street protests launched after past votes.
Abhisit’s government’s term does not expire until the end of the year, but he is hoping that a relatively buoyant economy — along with recently passed spending measures that should please voters — make this a propitious time to hold polls.
Although royal approval is normally a formality, several elements cast a shadow over election plans, the overriding one being fears that the party loyal to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra may stage a comeback.
The pro-Thaksin Puea Thai Party won the most seats in the last election in 2007 and was able to form a government, but controversial court rulings and militant anti-Thaksin demonstrations helped Abhisit’s Democrat Party take power by wooing enough lawmakers to defect to form its own ruling coalition.
Thaksin — now in self-imposed exile — was ousted in 2006 after being accused of corruption and disrespect to the king, and his return to any position of influence is opposed by elements in the army and others in a position of power. Critics of the military fear it might stage another, pre-emptive coup.
Some of Thaksin’s opponents are urging people not to vote for any candidates, which could conceivably disrupt seating a new house.
A more immediate technical hitch is that the courts have to rule on the constitutionality of new election laws. If parliament is dissolved without a court ruling, subsequent steps and the election itself could be open to legal challenges. A ruling is expected soon.
