Thailand’s Parliament Votes on Lawmaker Changes as Polls Near

Thailand’s joint parliament voted late Wednesday for an electoral change favoring smaller parties, potentially helping Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha’s military-backed political group in elections expected early next year.

Lawmakers debated for hours on the formula that determines how many votes each party would need to earn to get one of 100 party-list seats up for grabs in the 500-member House of Representatives for the next election. Under the chosen formula, smaller parties will be able to clinch the seats with fewer votes.