Final deadline for advance, overseas voting registration
BANGKOK, Jan 5 (TNA) - Registration for advance and overseas voting in Thailand’s upcoming general election and constitutional referendum reaches its final deadline at midnight on Monday, with over 1.2 million citizens already signed up to cast early ballots.
The Election Commission (EC) reported on Monday morning that 1,264,103 people had registered for advance voting in the February 8 general election.
The vast majority, approximately 1.15 million, consist of "off-constituency" voters—citizens living outside their home provinces—while over 111,000 have registered to vote from abroad.
Meanwhile, registration for a concurrent national referendum has drawn 225,920 applicants since opening on January 3.
The February 8 polls follow the December 12 dissolution of parliament by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
Anutin took office in September 2025 following a series of court-ordered removals of his predecessors, including Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
The snap election is viewed as a critical test for Anutin’s conservative Bhumjaithai Party against the progressive People’s Party, which won the most seats in 2023 but was blocked from forming a government, and the populist Pheu Thai Party.
Alongside the parliamentary race, voters will participate in a first-stage referendum to decide whether a new constitution should be drafted to replace the 2017 military-backed charter.
The military-backed 2017 Constitution has been a central point of contention in Thai politics, with critics arguing it was designed to stifle democratic movements.
The decision to hold the referendum on the same day as the election was a key policy condition set during the formation of the current government, aimed at reducing the administrative cost to the taxpayer and maximizing voter turnout.
While general election voters who register by today's deadline can cast their ballots on February 1, the EC clarified that there is no "advance" voting date for the referendum.
However, voters can cast their referendum ballots at off-constituency sites on February 8, the same day as the general election, provided they complete their registration by tonight’s deadline. - 819 (TNA)
