Thailand is holding its long-awaited election on Sunday, March 24.

How long have Thai voters waited for the election?

While the country's prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, promised in 2014 to return Thailand to democracy within two years, the election date has been pushed back repeatedly, as many as five times.

Analysts say the delay is to prevent Thaksinite parties, which is the main opposition, from gaining power.

What are Thais voting for?

The 51 million Thai voters are casting their ballots for the 500 members in the House of Representatives, which is the lower house of parliament.

What about the prime minister?

After the military government, or junta, seized power from the previous elected civilian government led by Yingluck Shinawatra in a bloodless coup in 2014, they put in place a constitution that allows for an unelected prime minister.

Therefore, the prime minister will not be directly elected by the voters.

Instead, he or she will be elected, by simple majority, by the 750 lawmakers made up by 500 from the lower house and 250 from the Senate, also known as the upper house, according to Associated Press (AP).

What are the possible outcomes?

The election is largely a three-way contest:

• Palang Pracharath, the newly-formed party aligned with the military
• Pheu Thai, the party that is loyal to Thaksin Shinawatra (despite living in self-imposed exile in Dubai, the telecommunications billionaire has loomed large in domestic politics for over a decade since 2001 when he first swept into office in a resounding electoral victory)
• the parties that are not aligned with either one of them, such as the Democrat Party (the oldest party in Thailand that is gaining momentum) and Future Forward (a relatively new party that is highly popular among the younger population)

The outcome is said to be highly unpredictable, but here are a few of the possible scenarios.

Pheu Thai receives most number of votes, but Prayuth remains as prime minister

One possible outcome is that the Thaksinite party, Pheu Thai, wins the most number of seats.

Pheu Thai is arguably the most popular party in Thailand, especially in the north and northeast regions -- it has won every single election in the past 14 years.

However, the party might not win enough seats to form a government on their own.

Termsak Chalermpalanupap, a lead researcher at the Yusof Ishak ISEAS Institute, wrote in a piece published in Today that said it is unlikely for any one party to win 200 seats in the lower house, let alone the 251 to form a majority.

But despite his party not winning big in the election and having a majority in the lower house, Prayuth might still continue in his role as prime minister.

This is because as long as he has the backing of all 250 senators, he will only need 126 supporters in the lower house to remain in office.

Pheu Thai forms new government, situation uncertain

Pheu Thai has urged the Thai people to vote, in hopes that a huge turnout may disrupt Prayuth's plans to stay in office.

If it gets its wish, it might even gather enough numbers to form a new government.

John Ciorciari, an associate professor and Southeast Asia expert at the University of Michigan, told AP that it is "unclear how the military leadership would respond" if Pheu Thai does that.

Also, should the military-aligned parties not get enough numbers to elect Prayuth as the next prime minister, there’s no telling what the military might do either.

However, it is important to note that under the new constitution imposed by the junta, any future government has to adhere to a "20-year plan" set by the military.

This ensures the junta's continued grip on power for the next 20 years.

The new constitution also sets a limit on the number of seats any one party can take, regardless of the number of votes won, making the situation even less certain.

Uncertainty ahead in Thai politics

Whatever the outcome, Thai politics is set to be fraught with uncertainties ahead, and the current political gridlock is not likely to be resolved anytime soon.

Prajak Kongkirati, an assistant professor teaching political science at Thailand's Thammasat University, told AP that the government formed after the election is likely to be fragile:

"Whatever party wins, Prayuth or Thaksin's side, both governments will be weak and unstable.

The government can collapse within a year or a year and a half and we might have a new election quite soon."

And this does not bode well for the country's economy.

Already, investors have voiced their concern about the political instability in the country, and are diverting their investments elsewhere instead.

When will Thais get their answer?

According to Bloomberg, counting begins after polls close at 5pm (it opened at 8am).

While preliminary results are expected on Sunday night itself, it will take some time for Thailand's political future to be clear, as it may take weeks to certify the tally, form the expected coalition government and pick the prime minister.

Is it safe for Singaporeans to go to Bangkok?

While the political outlook in Thailand may be uncertain, Singaporeans need not worry about going to Bangkok for their holiday.

As of March 24, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not issued a travel advisory for Singaporeans going to Thailand.

However, should election results not favour the military-aligned parties, the possibility of yet another coup has not been ruled out by the junta.

Should a coup happen, it is likely to take place after the King’s coronation, which is from May 4 to May 6.

On the other hand, there is a chance of a civil unrest breaking out should a highly unpopular government get elected.

Therefore, while it is safe to travel to Bangkok at the moment, Singaporeans should still take note of the developments.

Top image via Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images