Thailand has voted in an early election called after multiple coalition governments collapsed, giving the country three prime ministers in as many years.
Just like in 2023, this election pits those advocating far-reaching change, the People's Party, against conservative forces led by incumbent PM Anutin Charnavirakul.
When the young reformers won last time, the military-appointed senate barred them from forming a government, and the constitutional court dissolved the party. Powerful, unelected forces have repeatedly intervened to block parties challenging the status quo in Thailand.
Results will become clear around 22:00 local time (15:00 GMT), but no party is likely to win a majority.
The big question hanging over this election is how well the People's Party, which has been leading the polls, performs.
It is facing a strong challenge from Anutin, who has built his once small, provincial Bhumjaithai - 'Thai Pride' party - into the standard-bearer for Thai conservatives.
He has played on patriotic sentiment after the two short border wars with Cambodia last year, promising to defend the status of traditional Thai institutions like the monarchy and military.
The third main contender is the Shinawatra family and its Pheu Thai – 'For Thais' – party. In the past, it dominated elections, with well-marketed populist policies, and has promised to create nine new millionaires – in Thai baht – every day through a national prize draw.
Pheu Thai, however, is expected to lose significant support in this election after its last coalition administration was accused of mishandling the conflict with Cambodia and its patriarch, former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, was sent to jail.
Thailand's once dynamic economy has ground to a halt due to political instability and the lack of structural changes, raising concerns for foreign investors. Voters are worried about rising costs.
The People's Party, led by Nattaphong Ruengpanyawut, is promising big changes, including curbing the power of the biggest businesses and military, streamlining the extensive bureaucracy, and modernizing the education system.
But in Thailand simply winning an election is not enough. Two previous incarnations of the People's Party were dissolved by the court, and their leaders banned from politics.
They are not the only ones to have been subjected to intervention by the constitutional court. Five Pheu Thai prime ministers have been dismissed by the court since 2008, and two earlier incarnations of the party have been dissolved.
If the People's Party exceeds the 151 seats it won in 2023, it may prove difficult to bar it from forming a government. This is despite the unease about its radical agenda in conservative and royalist circles.
Besides the election, Thais are also voting in a referendum on whether to reform the 2017 constitution, which many believe gives too much power to unelected forces, handcuffing the country's democracy.
In this election, Thai voters face a choice of sweeping change or more of the same.
