Bangkok, February 1 (NationPress) The early voting process for the House of Representatives election in Thailand commenced at 8 a.m. local time on Sunday. This initiative allows over 2 million eligible voters, who are unable to participate on the official polling date of February 8, to cast their votes early.

Participants in the early voting received two ballot papers at the polling stations: one for selecting a constituency candidate for the House of Representatives and another for voting for their favored political party. The early voting period ended at 5 p.m. on the same day, and all ballots will be counted collectively after February 8, according to reports from the Xinhua news agency.

In total, over 50 million Thai voters will elect 500 members of the House of Representatives, with 400 being elected from local constituencies and the remaining 100 allocated to political parties based on the proportion of their popular votes.

As stated by the Election Commission of Thailand, 57 political parties are competing for the House seats and have nominated over 90 candidates for the prime ministerial position. Official results of the final vote count must be released no later than April 9. The newly elected parliament will convene within 15 days to elect a speaker, after which the House of Representatives will select a new prime minister.

Leading up to the election, political parties and their candidates for parliamentary seats and the premiership have been conducting campaign rallies nationwide, with campaign advertisements visible throughout the streets and alleys.

Pre-election opinion polls from various institutions indicate that the conservative Bhumjaithai Party, led by caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, is in close competition with the People's Party, which is the successor to the progressive Move Forward Party that secured the most seats in the last general election. The populist Pheu Thai Party, associated with the family of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is also closely trailing the frontrunners.

Current public opinion analysis suggests that no single party is likely to achieve an outright majority, making the formation of a new government contingent upon post-election negotiations among political factions.

The last general election in Thailand took place in May 2023, with caretaker Prime Minister Anutin being appointed as the third prime minister since then. He assumed office in September 2025 with the backing of the People's Party, following an agreement to initiate a constitutional amendment process.

However, a constitutional amendment proposal advanced by the People's Party did not succeed in parliament on December 11, 2025. Subsequently, the party introduced a no-confidence motion against Anutin's administration, leading to Anutin's immediate dissolution of the House of Representatives.