Siamese general election, 1946

Siamese general election, 1946 (First Round)

6 January 1946

First party Second party Third party   Leader Khuang Aphaiwong Vilas Osatananda Kukrit Pramoj Party Independent Seri Thai Progress Party 1946

Prime Minister before election Seni Pramoj Seri Thai Prime Minister-designate Khuang Aphaiwong

Siamese general election, 1946 (Second Round)

5 August 1946

First party Second party Third party   Leader Thawan Thamrongnawasawat Khuang Aphaiwong Pridi Banomyong Party Constitutional Front Party Democrat Party (Thailand) Sahachip Party Seats won 57 seats 18 seats

Prime Minister before election Khuang Aphaiwong Seri Thai Prime Minister-designate Thawan Thamrongnawasawat Constitutional Front Party

General elections for the National Assembly were held in Siam on 6 January 1946. In the first elections since the Second World War, a total of 2,091,788 votes were cast and voter turnout was 32.5%.^[1] A second round of elections was held in 47 provinces on 5 August in order to increase the number of MPs to the number set in the constitution.^[1]

At the time there were no political parties,^[2] so all candidates ran as independents. There were unofficial affiliations. Supporters of Pridi Banomyong (Sahachip Party and the Constitutional Front) took 57 seats, the Democrat Party took 18 seats and a further seven seats went to unaffiliated representatives.^[3]

References

1. Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II, p278 ISBN 0-19-924959-8
2. Nohlen et al., p284
3. Sorasak Ngamcachonkulkid (2001), The Seri Thai movement and political conflict in Thailand, 1938-1949, University of Wisconsin—Madison, p. 140