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All 357 seats in the House of Representatives 179 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Turnout | 63.56% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
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General elections were held in Thailand on 24 July 1988. The Thai Nation Party emerged as the largest party, winning 87 of the 357 seats. Voter turnout was 64%. [1]
Leaders of the top five elected political parties, consisting of the Thai Nation Party, the Social Action Party, the Democrat Party, the Ruam Thai Party and the Thai Citizen Party, discussed forming a government. All agreed that General Prem Tinsulanonda, the incumbent prime minister, should continue in office, and met with him his residence at Ban Si Sao Thewet on the evening of 27 July. However, Tinsulanonda refused to serve as prime minister for a fourth term, saying eight years and five months as Prime Minister was enough. Chatichai Choonhavan of the Thai Nation Party subsequently became Prime Minister on 4 August, appointing his cabinet on 9 August. Tinsulanonda was appointed as a Privy Councilor on 23 August.
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Thai Nation Party | 7,612,148 | 19.29 | 87 | +24 | |
Social Action Party | 4,651,161 | 11.79 | 54 | +3 | |
Democrat Party | 4,456,077 | 11.29 | 48 | –52 | |
Ruam Thai Party | 3,988,941 | 10.11 | 34 | +15 | |
Palang Dharma Party | 3,586,878 | 9.09 | 14 | New | |
Thai People Party | 3,143,851 | 7.97 | 17 | +16 | |
Rak Thai | 2,454,870 | 6.22 | 19 | +19 | |
Thai Citizen Party | 2,413,520 | 6.12 | 31 | +7 | |
People Party | 2,336,962 | 5.92 | 21 | +3 | |
Community Action | 1,127,418 | 2.86 | 9 | –6 | |
Progress Party | 1,114,468 | 2.82 | 8 | –1 | |
United Democrat Party | 810,547 | 2.05 | 6 | –32 | |
Liberal Party | 690,486 | 1.75 | 3 | +2 | |
Mass Party | 622,933 | 1.58 | 5 | +2 | |
Social Democratic Force | 273,932 | 0.69 | 1 | New | |
Thai Agro Industry | 179,563 | 0.46 | 0 | New | |
Total | 39,463,755 | 100.00 | 357 | +10 | |
Valid votes | 16,350,143 | 96.49 | |||
Invalid/blank votes | 594,788 | 3.51 | |||
Total votes | 16,944,931 | 100.00 | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 26,658,638 | 63.56 | |||
Source: Nohlen et al. |
The history of Thailand from 1973 to 2001 saw an unstable period of democracy, with military rule being reimposed after a bloody coup in 1976.
Prem Tinsulanonda was a Thai military officer, politician, and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from 3 March 1980 to 4 August 1988, during which time he was credited with ending a communist insurgency and presiding over accelerating economic growth. As president of the Privy Council, he served as Regent of Thailand from the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej on 13 October 2016 until 1 December 2016, when Vajiralongkorn was proclaimed King. At the age of 98, Prem was the longest-living Thai Prime Minister. He is also the oldest regent of any country, surpassing Bavarian Prince Regent Luitpold's record, when he became the regent for king Rama X.
Chatichai Choonhavan was a Thai army officer, diplomat and politician. From 1986 to 1991, he was the chairman of the Thai Nation Party and served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from August 1988 until the 1991 coup d'état.
Thanin Kraivichien is a Thai former judge, politician and law professor. He was the prime minister of Thailand between 1976 and 1977. He was then appointed to the Privy Council and became its president in 2016. With the death of Prem Tinsulanonda in May 2019, he become the oldest living former Thai Prime Minister.
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Arthit Kamlang-ek was a Thai general. He was the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army from 1982 to 1986 and in parallel the Supreme Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces from 1983 to 1986. He was particularly influential during the 1980s during the government of Prem Tinsulanonda.
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Lek Nana was a Thai businessman and politician. He was one of the founders of Thailand's Democrat Party at the end of World War II. Lek Nana served as Deputy Foreign Minister as well as Minister of Science, Technology, and Energy. A Muslim of Gujarati ancestry, he was a senior member of the Central Islamic Committee of Thailand. The Nana area on Sukhumvit Road derives its name from him.
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Suthep Thaugsuban is a Thai former politician and former Member of Parliament for Surat Thani province. Until 2011, he was secretary-general of the Democrat Party and a deputy prime minister under Abhisit Vejjajiva. He resigned his seat in Parliament in November 2013 to become the self-appointed Secretary-general of the People's Democratic Reform Committee, which was conducting mass protests trying to unseat the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. After the military coup of May 22, 2014, Suthep was temporarily detained and placed under arrest by the new junta. He was released after four days, retired from politics, and entered Buddhist monastichood from July 2014 to July 2015. Since, he became the leader of the Muan Maha Prachachon for Reform Foundation that backed the junta sponsored Thai constitutional referendum, which had been put to a national referendum on 7 August 2016.
Trairong Suwankiri is a Thai politician. Member of United Thai Nation Party. He was deputy prime minister in the cabinet of Abhisit Vejjajiva, and vice leader of the Democrats. His name, Trairong means tricolour and is the name of the Thai national flag. In parliament and public he is known for his jokes and his heavy Southern accent.
Pramarn Adireksarn was a Thai military officer and politician. He was a co-founder and chairman of the Thai Nation Party, deputy prime minister and minister in several cabinets.
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The year 1988 was the 207th year of the Rattanakosin Kingdom of Thailand. It was the 43nd year in the reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and is reckoned as year 2531 in the Buddhist Era.