BANGKOK – The race to be Thailand’s next prime minister is a crowded field with dozens of people vying for the post, but the battle is expected to be mainly between incumbent Prayut Chan-o-cha and Ms Paetongtarn Shinawatra, a young politician from the storied Shinawatra clan.

Their clash sets the tone for the May 14 general election, seen as a contest between the pro-establishment groups of the ruling military-backed coalition and a pro-democracy camp of opposition parties.

More than 60 parties have registered their candidates for the election to the 500-seat House of Representatives, where 400 members will be elected using the first-past-the-post method and the remaining to be picked using a proportional representation system.

These lawmakers, together with the 250 members of the Senate, get to decide who will be Thailand’s 30th premier.

As the Senate is stacked with allies of the current establishment, Ms Paetongtarn’s Pheu Thai Party needs at least 376 seats through support of allies to succeed.

With major parties mum on pre-poll alliances, preliminary results will determine coalition dynamics as parties haggle over key cabinet positions.

Here’s a look at the key candidates:

Mr Prayut Chan-o-cha, 69 

A former army chief who seized power in 2014, Mr Prayut has ruled Thailand for nearly a decade and is the top prime minister candidate of conservative United Thai Nation Party.

He has a head start in the race, as he is favoured to win the backing of many of the 250 senators, whose votes will be key to picking the next leader. 

As junta leader, Mr Prayut cracked down on dissidents and claimed he would restore peace and order after his coup stopped months of street protests against then Premier Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra – whose term was also ended by a military takeover.

Mr Prayut oversaw the royal succession of King Maha Vajiralongkorn at a critical juncture in Thailand’s history after the passing of much-beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who reigned for 70 years. 

Mr Prayut was chosen to stay on as prime minister after the 2019 election, when conservative Palang Pracharath Party cobbled together a coalition of 18 parties to keep him in power.

He is known to have a temper and there were instances he displayed it publicly, including in the presence of journalists.

At the same time, he has composed several ballads about patriotism and unity, which portray him as an honest and misunderstood leader who will steer Thailand through rough waters. 

Ms Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 36  

The youngest of Thaksin’s three children, Ms Paetongtarn is the latest political figure from the Shinawatra clan, which has dominated Thai elections but has routinely been booted out of office.

The charismatic scion is hardly a newcomer to Thai politics, having had a front-row seat to Thaksin’s career since eight years old.

She currently tops popularity polls, winning approval ratings for Pheu Thai Party and gaining a healthy lead over Mr Prayut as voters’ top choice for prime minister. 

Ms Paetongtarn, who is eight months pregnant and expecting her second child around the election date, has seen a meteoric rise since her official debut with Pheu Thai in 2021.

She has done well to stoke clan frenzy ahead of the May vote, appealing to loyal supporters of now self-exiled Thaksin and Yingluck to sweep her party to a landslide win and help end the cycle of coups against the family.

She repeatedly said her pursuit of a political career is not about bringing her father home.

Mr Srettha Thavisin, 60

A successful real estate magnate, Mr Srettha led Sansiri for more than six years as its president and later also as chief executive before resigning in April to give a shot at the premier’s job as another Pheu Thai candidate.

He has also sold and transferred his shares in various companies to reduce his role in the private sector for a new career in politics.

Unlike other high-profile tycoons, Mr Srettha has been politically active on social media, often tweeting messages of support for Ms Paetongtarn and comments on the government’s economic management.

He endeared himself to young Thais after publicly criticising Mr Prayut’s handling of the 2020 student-led street demonstrations calling for monarchy reforms.

He also openly urged Unicef to issue a statement against state violence on young protesters.

Mr Prawit Wongsuwan, 77

Also a former army chief, Mr Prawit served briefly as acting prime minister in 2022 when Mr Prayut was suspended by the Constitutional Court during a term limit trial.

He leads the ruling Palang Pracharath Party that backed Mr Prayut in the last election. 

Mr Prawit was Mr Prayut’s deputy junta leader and the “big brother” in the nexus of government power known as “3P”, which included Mr Prayut and Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda, before an apparent falling out that caused Mr Prayut to join another party.

Before stepping into politics, the former army chief was one of the figureheads of the Burapha Payak, or the Eastern Tigers faction, within the Thai military that is also known as the Queen’s Guard.

Now, he is actively distancing himself from his role in Mr Prayut’s junta with frequent Facebook posts.

He has also undergone a dramatic makeover, swapping his stern military image for one of a smiley and hip “Uncle Pom” who wears jeans and canvas sneakers. 

Mr Anutin Charnvirakul, 56

Another tycoon-turned-politician, Mr Anutin, is the leader and only prime minister candidate of the Bhumjaithai Party.

Formerly an associate of Thaksin, Mr Anutin played kingmaker after the 2019 election before eventually siding with Palang Pracharath and securing many key ministries for Bhumjaithai.

He expects the party to be indispensable to any potential coalition and is viewed as a consensus prime minister choice.

Mr Anutin is popularly known for realising Bhumjaithai’s cannabis decriminalisation campaign in June 2022, which made Thailand the first trailblazer in Asia.

But pushback against Bhumjaithai is growing as lawmakers from rival parties blocked a Bill to regulate the cannabis industry and growing societal concerns about drugs threaten to set back the landmark policy. 

Mr Pita Limjaroenrat, 42 

A former executive director of ride-hailing firm Grab’s Thailand office, Mr Pita is the leader and only candidate of the progressive Move Forward Party that’s popular among the youth.

Ivy League-educated Mr Pita started a career in politics, first as a MP of upstart Future Forward Party, which came third in the 2019 election on the support of many first-time voters during Mr Prayut’s military rule.

The dissolution of Future Forward in 2020 – and the subsequent ban on its 44-year-old charismatic leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit – was seen as the initial spark that ignited the youth protests later in the year.

Although Move Forward has inherited much of its predecessor’s ideology and flagship agendas including military reforms and overhaul of the country’s post-coup Constitution, it has also gone further under Mr Pita’s leadership to be the only mainstream party to push for amendments of the lese majeste law that punishes royal insults by up to 15 years in prison. BLOOMBERG