Thailand will vote in a general election for the first time on MArch 24, 2019 since the 2014 coup, said Election Commissioner Ittiporn Boonprakong Wednesday afternoon.

The announcement was made just hours after a critical royal decree was issued by the palace. It was the last legal hurdle to overcome before the commission could set the date, said Khaosod English.

Dozens of parties will compete in the election, which will decide Thailand’s future after nearly five years of military rule under junta Chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha.

Contenders include both old establishment players such as the Pheu Thai and Democrat parties alongside newer factions like the Future Forward and Seri Ruam Thai parties. Political parties supported by the junta and hardline conservative activist Suthep Thaugsuban will also run in the poll.

Politics in the kingdom had been on ice by order of the military ever since it seized power in May 2014 following volatile street protests seeking to unseat the elected civilian government of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, the report added.

Source: Khaosod English