Bangkok (VNA) – More than 7,400 lower house candidates of 66 politicalparties in Thailand during February 4 - 6 registered to join the country’supcoming general election, which is scheduled to take place on March 24.

Secretary-generalof Thailand’s Election Commission (EC) Jarungvith Phumma said the parties areadvised to submit their lists of candidates to the EC by February 7, one daybefore the deadline.

Jarungvith said parties should submit the listson the day instead of waiting. If problems occur, they would still havetime to sort them out and resubmit the lists on February 8, he added. 

Besides, seven parties have so far submittedlists of prime ministerial candidates to the EC, Jarungvith said. 

Earlier, the EC announced that the generalelection will be held on March 24 to restore civilian rule. This will be thefirst general election in the country since the military coup in 2014.

The election also attracts the Pheu Thai Partyof ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the Democrat Party of former PMAbhisit Vejjajiva.

In January, the Thai administration lifted a banon political activities, allowing parties to organise election campaigns.-VNA