Thailand’s Election Commission (EC) has officially set the country’s next general election for February 8, following the dissolution of the House of Representatives last week.

The EC announced yesterday that applications for constituency-based candidates will be accepted from December 27-31, according to the Bangkok Post. Applications for party-list candidates will be accepted from December 28-31, as will parties’ nominees for prime minister.

The EC’s announcement comes after Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who heads a minority government, dissolved the House on December 12, saying that he wished to “return power to the people.”

In theory, the election offers an opportunity to bring to an end the instability that has affected Thai politics since the general election of 2023, which led to the formation of a rickety coalition government led by the Pheu Thai party. Anutin, the leader of the conservative Bhumjaithai party, became prime minister in September after his Pheu Thai predecessor, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was removed from office over an ethics violation.

During the parliamentary vote, Anutin........

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