Thailand elections: Anutin’s party poised for dominant win amid border tensions
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Anutin Charnvirakul Photograph: (AFP)
Thailand’s PM Anutin looks set for a strong election win as voters back his nationalist stance amid border tensions and economic challenges
Thailand’s conservative Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul appeared set for a decisive win in Sunday’s (February 8) general election, according to early television projections, as his Bhumjaithai Party surged on a platform of nationalism and security. Channel 3 forecasts suggested Bhumjaithai would secure close to 200 seats in the 500-member lower house, making it the dominant force in parliament. The progressive People’s Party was projected to follow with fewer than 100 seats, while Pheu Thai, linked to jailed former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, is expected to finish third.
The result marked a dramatic reversal of fortune for Anutin, whose party placed third in the previous election and who only became prime minister last September after courts removed two successive Pheu Thai leaders. People’s Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut acknowledged defeat, saying his party respected the mandate of the election’s top finisher to attempt to form a government. Voters across the country cited national security as a central concern, particularly tensions along the Cambodian border that escalated into deadly clashes twice last year.
After casting his ballot, Anutin, a wealthy construction heir known for promoting cannabis legalization and flying his own jet, urged voters to place their confidence in his leadership. Beyond security concerns, the incoming government faces sluggish economic growth, a tourism industry still recovering from the pandemic, and the rise of large-scale cyber fraud operations operating across Southeast Asia.
Although Bhumjaithai was unlikely to win an outright majority, its strong showing positioned it as the central player in coalition talks. Thailand’s electoral system combines constituency seats with party-list allocations. Pheu Thai is widely viewed as the most probable coalition partner despite recent tensions, including a dispute over how the border conflict was handled under former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin’s daughter.
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Thaksin, currently serving a one-year sentence for corruption, is widely expected by analysts to be released early as part of a broader political settlement. Thailand’s turbulent political landscape, shaped by coups, court rulings, and party dissolutions, remains under a constitution drafted by a military-backed government after the 2014 coup. The charter grants extensive power to unelected institutions. Alongside the election, voters also participated in a referendum asking whether constitutional reform should be pursued in principle, though no specific changes were proposed.
