Sunday's general election is not expected to end Thailand's political crisis, which has seen mass anti-government protests on the streets of Bangkok since November.
Candidate registration has been blocked in dozens of constituencies, leading to doubts that enough seats will be filled to form a government at all.
Here are some facts and figures about this vote:
How many people are eligible to vote?
- 48.7 million.
How many seats are being contested?
- 500 seats in the lower house of parliament, representing 375 constituencies.
How are seats allocated?
- 375 candidates are elected on a one-per-constituency basis. The remaining 125 will be selected from a party list, allocated in proportion to total votes cast for each party. In the polling booth, voters select both a candidate and the party of their choice.
What is the balance of power in the current parliament?
- Government parties - Pheu Thai: 265; Chartthaipattana: 19; Chart Pattana Puea Pandin: 7; Palang Chon: 7; Mathaphum: 2. Opposition parties - Democrat: 153; Bhumjaithai: 34; Others: 13.
How many constituencies have only one candidate registered?
- In the 22 constituencies where there is only one candidate, he or she must clinch more than 20 per cent of the eligible votes.
How many constituencIes have no candidates registered?
- 28 constituencies will not hold a vote after candidate registration was blocked by protesters. This means only 472 constituencies will elect a constituency candidate.
When are party list candidates chosen?
- Party list candidates cannot be named until after all votes have been placed. Since 28 constituencies will not participate in the polls, the party list must wait until polls are held there.
How many seats are needed to open a new parliament?
- Under the constitution there must be at least 475 filled seats, or 95 per cent of the total. The total number of seats filled by Sunday's vote is expected to be three short of this figure.
What was the turnout in the last elections?
- 75% voted in the July 2011 election.