BANGKOK, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Election Commission on Sunday began accepting applications for party-list candidates and notifications of prime minister nominees from political parties ahead of a general election set for February.
Speaking at a press briefing, Election Commission Secretary-General Sawaeng Boonmee stated that the registration process for party-list members of the House of Representatives went smoothly, with 52 political parties submitting applications in the morning.
Upon verification, officials confirmed that all party documents submitted were correct and complete, Sawaeng said, adding that the lottery for party list numbers, which will be used for campaigning, was successfully conducted.
He noted that 32 parties have submitted a total of 68 prime ministerial candidates for consideration by the House of Representatives, with the registration window open until the end of December.
On Saturday, over 3,000 candidates submitted applications for constituency-based members of parliament as registration kicked off nationwide, with Bangkok recording the highest number of applicants at 449, the commission reported.
Thailand is set to hold a general election on Feb. 8 to select members of the House of Representatives, following the dissolution of parliament earlier this month.
Under the two-ballot system, eligible Thai voters will elect 500 members to the lower house of parliament for a four-year term, with 400 seats from single-member constituencies and 100 allocated on a party list basis. ■