UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday urged Thailand to hold credible and peaceful elections on July 3.

"He expects the elections will be conducted peacefully and in a fair, credible and transparent manner so as to contribute to reconciliation and the consolidation of democratic norms in the country," said Marin Nesirky, spokesperson for UN chief Ban Ki-moon.

"He urges all parties to refrain from violence before, during and after the elections and to accept and respect the will of the people as expressed at the ballot box," the statement added.

Thailand's National Police Bureau on Tuesday put 25 provinces nationwide under close watch before the general election. In addition, it will deploy 100,000 police officers to guard more than 90,000 polling stations nationwide.

Thailand will hold a general election on July 3, after the king endorsed a royal decree to dissolve the lower house of parliament last month.

The opposition candidates who will face off against incumbent Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva include Yingluck Shinawatra, whose older brother, the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was ousted in a military coup in 2006.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has encountered both political conflicts and economic problems during its tenure. Last year, the Red-shirt supporters of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship held a 69-day demonstration in an effort to topple his government. Protesters clashed with police, leaving 92 dead and more than a thousand injured.

This is the 12th Thai government that ends with the dissolution of the House. The last dissolution took place in 2006 when fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra announced the move following the pressure from the yellow-clad People's Alliance for Democracy.

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