Thailand dissolves parliament ahead of May general election

Thailand's king has dissolved parliament, paving the way for a general election in early May. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's new conservative, royalist party faces a strong challenge from the Pheu Thai party, led by exiled former PM Thaksin Shinawatra's daughter Paetongtarn. Prayuth, who led a 2014 coup against the last pro-Thaksin government, has trailed in opinion polls for months. Although the election date has not been set, but as per the constitution, it must be held within 60 days of dissolution.The exact date of the election will be announced by the Election Commission and published in the Royal Gazette. Last week, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha requested a royal decree to dissolve parliament prior the government's four-year term on Mar 23. Thailand held its previous election on Mar 24, 2019, marking a transition from nearly five years of military regime towards re-establishing a democratically elected government. The current constitution gives power to the Senate – the upper house in parliament – to jointly select the prime minister in conjunction with the House of Representatives – the lower house – during the initial five years of the first government to be formed after the election.