A Thai opposition MP has been shot in what is believed to have been an assassination attempt ahead of a national election. Mr. Pracha Prasobdee, Member of Parliament from the main opposition party Pheu Thai, was shot three times in the back. The shooting happened when he was in his car in a supermarket carpark in his electorate. The MP is now in hospital, and investigators believe the attack was politically motivated. The shooting follows the calling of a general election in Thailand earlier this week which will be held on July 3. The electoral commission has now asked the police force to provide protection for candidates registering for the poll.