2026 Thai general election

General elections were held in Thailand on 8 February 2026 in order to determine the composition of the House of Representatives. A referendum was also held on the same day so as to determine whether the 2017 constitution should be replaced with a new one.^[1]

After the 2023 general election, three coalition governments were formed by the resulting parliament. After an initial attempt by the progressive Move Forward Party was blocked by the Senate, the Pheu Thai Party split off to form governments with conservative and pro-military parties, first under Srettha Thavisin and later under Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Both governments collapsed, with Srettha removed by a court ruling in 2024 and Paetongtarn dismissed by the Constitutional Court in 2025.

In September 2025, an agreement was made between the People's Party and Bhumjaithai Party to support Anutin Charnvirakul as prime minister, with a requirement for Anutin to dissolve the House within 4 months after the presentation of the government's policy platform.^[2] The House was dissolved on 12 December 2025,^[3][4] with a snap election being required within 60 days. The election was scheduled for 8 February 2026, the latest possible date.^[5]

The election resulted in the Bhumjaithai Party winning the most in the House of Representatives with 193 seats. The People's Party, led by Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, followed in second place with 118 seats. Pheu Thai, led by Yodchanan Wongsawat, came in third with 74 seats.^[6] There was a drop in turnout, which was 4.28 percentage points down compared to the last election.

Bhumjaithai was seen as benefiting from nationalist sentiments after Thailand's recent clash with Cambodia.^[7] While the other two major parties performed respectably, they ultimately fragmented the centrist and progressive vote.^[8]

The previous election in 2023 saw a shift towards progressive parties, with the Move Forward Party winning 151 seats followed by the Thaksin Shinawatra-aligned Pheu Thai Party. The governing coalition of conservative parties only won 15% of the seats, with the Bhumjaithai Party being the only one to increase their numbers.^[9][10] Move Forward initially formed an eight party coalition with Pheu Thai, Thai Sang Thai, Prachachat, Thai Liberal, New Social Power, Thai Ruam Palang and the Fair Party. The coalition had a total of 313 MPs, giving them a majority in the House of Representatives.^[10] However, under the transitory provisions of the 2017 constitution, the prime minister was to be chosen by both elected MPs and NCPO-appointed Senators. As such, Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat failed to gain enough votes to become prime minister.^[10] The opportunity to form government passed to Pheu Thai who formed a coalition excluding Move Forward that included conservative parties such as Bhumjaithai, and the military-backed Palang Pracharath and United Thai Nation parties.^[11] Their candidate, Srettha Thavisin, was elected prime minister on 22 August with the support of most Senators.^[10]

This was the third election under the 2017 constitution, which was implemented under Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and the first after the expiration of the constitution's five-year transitory provision that gave the Senate voting rights to choose the prime minister in a joint session of parliament. As such, unlike in 2023 when the junta-appointed Senate (whose term also ends after five years) blocked the election's winner from forming government, this time the outcome of the election should determine the resulting government.^[2][12]

On 3 August 2023, Move Forward MP Nakhonchai Khunnarong resigned over his criminal record, but Move Forward held Rayong 3rd district after Phongsathorn Sornpetchnarin won the by-election.^[13] On 28 September, Move Forward MP for Phitsanulok 1st district Padipat Suntiphada left the party to retain his position as First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, which the opposition party is barred from holding.^[14] As sitting MPs are required to be members of political parties, Padipat joined the Fair Party on 31 October increasing that party's total seats to two.^[15] In November 2023, amid a sexual assault scandal, Move Forward expelled two MPs: Wuttiphong Thonglour of Prachinburi on 1 November and Chaiyamparwaan Munphianchit of Bangkok on 7 November.^[16] By the end of November, Chaiyamparwaan joined the Thai Progress Party as its only MP whilst Wuttiphong joined the Chart Pattana Party and increased its number of MPs to three.^[17] On 30 August 2023, the sole MP and leader of the Thai Liberal Party, Sereepisuth Temeeyaves, resigned his seat and was replaced by Mangkorn Yontrakul also from the Thai Liberal.^[18]

On 7 August 2024, Move Forward was dissolved by the Constitutional Court over the party's campaign to amend Thailand's lèse-majesté laws.^[13] The dissolution accompanied five sitting party-list MPs receiving 10-year bans from politics: Pita Limjaroenrat, Chaithawat Tulathon, Apichart Sirisunthon, Bencha Saengchantra and Suthep U-on. As party-list seats, no by-elections were held and the five seats remained vacant.^[19] The remaining 143 MPs joined the Thinkakhao Chaovilai Party, who held no seats, and the party was renamed to the People's Party on 9 August.^[20][21] Additionally, Padipat also received a 10-year ban and the Fair Party dropped to one MP.^[22] Phitsanulok 1st district was won by Pheu Thai candidate Jadet Jantar on 15 September, defeating the People's Party who won the seat as Move Forward in 2023.^[23]

On 5 October 2024, party-list and sole MP for the New Party Kritdithat Sangthanyothin was expelled from the party. The following day, New Social Power's sole MP Chao Writthit Kachornpongkitti of Nan 1st district was also expelled.^[24][25] Buncha Dechjerongsirikul, party-list MP and leader of the Party of Thai Counties, left the party on 15 October.^[26] Preeda Boonpleng, sole MP of the Thai Teachers for People Party, was expelled on 21 October.^[27] All four MPs joined the Kla Tham Party by the end of October, increasing Kla Tham's number of seats to four.^[28] On 11 December 2024, Thamanat Prompow and his faction of 19 other MPs were expelled by the Palang Pracharath Party and officially joined Kla Tham on 19 December, boosting Kla Tham to 24 seats and making it a medium size party.^[29] In 2025, Kla Tham saw further defections to it. On 18 April 2025, Ekarat Changlao of Khon Kaen was expelled by Bhumjaithai amid a embezzlement scandal and joined Kla Tham.^[30][31]

On 27 April 2025, Bhumjaithai lost a seat when Kla Tham candidate Kongkiat Katesombat won a by-election in Nakhon Si Thammarat 8th district after Bhumjaithai MP Mukdawan Loengseenil was disqualified for electoral fraud.^[32][33] Pichet Chuamuangpan of Pheu Thai was disqualified by the Constitutional Court for misusing funds on 1 August.^[34] His seat, Chiang Rai 7th district, continued to be held by Pheu Thai after Sa-nga Prommuang won the by-election on 14 September.^[35] On 28 September, Bhumjaithai candidate Chintawan Traisaranakul won Sisaket 5th district from Pheu Thai following the death of MP Amornthep Sommai in June 2025.^[36][37] Bhumjaithai won another seat from Pheu Thai in the by-election for Kanchanaburi 4th district on 19 October. Wisuda Vicheansil won the seat following the resignation of his father Sakda Vicheansil to join Bhumjaithai.^[38] On 7 September, Pheu Thai party-list MP Noppadon Pattama resigned.^[39]

Between the 2023 and 2026 elections, Thailand had three prime ministers from two parties succeed each other. Srettha Thavisin lasted 358 days but was dismissed by the Constitutional Court on 14 August 2024 over his appointment of Pichit Chuenban to his cabinet.^[40][41] He was succeeded by Paetongtarn Shinawatra from Pheu Thai who was prime minister for little over a year but was suspended on 1 July 2025. Following a skirmish between Thai and Cambodian soldiers on 28 May 2025, a border crisis and conflict ensued between the two countries leading to a political crisis after an attempted assassination. A controversial phone call held between Paetongtarn and Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen was leaked in June, leading to the withdrawal of Bhumjaithai from the coalition and her suspension as PM.^[42] The Constitutional Court removed her as prime minister on 29 August.^[43] Paetongtarn is the daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra who returned to Thailand in 2023 after 15-years in exile on the same day Srettha became prime minister.^[44] Controversially, Thaksin did not spend a complete day in prison as he was transferred to the Police General Hospital; he was later released on parole on 13 January 2024.^[41] During both Srettha and Paetongtarn's premierships, Thaksin was routinely accused of being the 'power behind the throne'. On 9 September 2025, in the 14th floor case, Thaksin was sentenced to a year in prison by the Supreme Court.^[45][46]

Following the removal of Paetongtarn, both Pheu Thai and Bhumjaithai sought the support of the People's Party to back their candidates. The People's Party formally confirmed its support for Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul to become prime minister.^[42] The agreement between the two parties was on the condition that Anutin dissolve the House within four months, Bhumjaithai must maintain a minority coalition, and must also initiate the process of amending the 2017 constitution and hold a referendum if required.^[47] Acting prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai's attempt to dissolve the House was rejected over concerns about whether an acting prime minister had the powers to do so.^[42] Anutin was elected prime minister on 5 September 2025 and was formally sworn two days later.^[42] In the three months prior to the early dissolution, he signed the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accord on 26 October, which led to an uneasy and unstable peace agreement until military engagements and re-escalation restarted on 7 December.^[48] His government was criticised for its response to online scam networks, and severe flooding in Songkhla province in the wake of Cyclone Senyar and a controversial 2025 SEA Games made negative reception.^[48][49] Amid rumours of an early dissolution, the House was formally dissolved on 12 December before a vote of no-confidence by the People's Party could go through.^[49][50]

As in the 2023 election, the electoral system followed that of the 2021 amendment of the 2017 constitution. The 500 members of the House of Representatives were elected by parallel voting. 400 seats were elected from single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post voting and 100 seats by proportional representation. Voters cast separate ballots for the two sets of seats.^[51]

Under the 2017 constitution, prime ministers may only be chosen from a pre-declared list of candidates. Each party may submit up to three names and must have at least 5% (25 members) in the House of Representatives to receive eligibility. Candidates did not have to be a member of parliament (MP).

On 12 December, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul submitted a draft royal decree to King Vajiralongkorn to dissolve the House of Representatives. On the same day, the Royal Gazette published a royal decree dissolving the House. A general election must be held between 45 and 60 days from the House's dissolution, setting 8 February 2026 as the latest date to hold an election.^[56] On 15 December, the Election Commission announced that the general election would be held on 8 February 2026, with the official results to be announced on 9 April, whereupon the new House will convene to elect a new prime minister and parliamentary speakers within 15 days.^[57]

On 16 December, the Pheu Thai Party announced its three candidates for prime minister: Yodchanan Wongsawat, party leader Julapun Amornvivat, and Suriya Juangroongruangkit.^[58][59] On 20 December, the Election Commission opened registration for advance voting, which will last until 5 January 2026. On the first day of registration, 98,900 voters had already registered.^[60] On 22 December, the Democrat Party officially began its election campaign with the slogan "Thailand Out of Poverty". The launch coincided with the presentation of 33 Democrat candidates contesting every Bangkok constituency.^[61] The Thai Sang Thai Party pledged to introduce three flagship anti-corruption measures if elected.^[62]

On 23 December, the Kla Tham Party announced incumbent deputy prime minister Thamanat Prompow as its sole prime ministerial candidate.^[63] On 24 December, Bhumjaithai backtracked on previous announcements by declaring Anutin as its sole candidate for prime minister.^[64] The following day, Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow was named as Bhumjaithai's second candidate for prime minister as a backup.^[65] On 25 December, Pheu Thai announced its list of 500 candidates to contest every House seat.^[66] Anutin ruled out any coalition between Bhumjaithai and parties seeking to amend Article 112 on lèse-majesté following statements by Natthaphong that the People's Party would never vote for Anutin to become prime minister again.^[67]

On 26 December, the Democrat Party announced its three candidates for prime minister: party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, Korn Chatikavanij, and Karndee Leopairote, at its headquarters in Bangkok.^[68] Palang Pracharath Party leader Prawit Wongsuwon announced his intention to retire from politics after withdrawing as one of the party's three prime ministerial candidates.^[69] His withdrawal as a prime ministerial candidate was joined by deputy party leader Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala, who also announced his withdrawal from politics.^[70] On 28 December, representatives from 52 political parties registered their parties' lists of prime ministerial and party-list candidates.^[71]

A total of 57 political parties registered party lists. The first 52 party numbers were selected by lottery, and the last five were selected chronologically.^[72][73]

Alongside the general election, voters were asked to participate in a referendum regarding a proposed rewrite of the country's 2017 Constitution.^[74]

According to unofficial results reported by Al Jazeera, more than 57% of voters supported the drafting of a new constitution.^[75] People's Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut acknowledged that the referendum appeared to have been approved and stated his party would respect the parliamentary process.^[76]

The advance voting on 1 February saw many complaints of issues with the election process. One reported issue, which was also seen in the previous election, was that election officials wrote wrong codes on ballot envelopes, raising concerns that the ballots might end up in a different district and therefore be counted for the wrong candidate.^[85] Voters also reported missing or incorrect on information boards at some polling stations.^[86] This included cases where a candidate's information was entirely missing from the information board. In some of these cases, it was reported that polling station officials initially claimed that the missing candidates had been disqualified and only later rectified the mistake. Those affected included candidates from the People's Party,^[87] Pheu Thai Party,^[88] and Democrat Party.^[89]

Irregularities were also reported on election day, with the election observation platform Vote62 receiving over 5,000 reports from citizens.^[90][91]

In Chonburi Constituency 1, a large crowd gathered on 9 February to demand a recount following allegations of irregularities, including misplaced and improperly sealed ballot boxes, power outages during vote counting, vote total discrepancies, and vote tally sheets being found in a rubbish bin.^[92][93] The crowd remained guarding the ballot boxes overnight awaiting a decision by the Election Commission, which after a meeting asked for two days to gather and consider evidence before determining whether there would be a recount.^[94] A similar incident of crowds gathering to ask for a recount and guarding ballot boxes also occurred in Maha Sarakham Constituency 1.^[95]

Following these and similar allegations, the People's Party formally requested recounts in 18 constituencies.^[96] One of its former MPs, Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, filed a police report against members of the Election Commission in Chonburi.^[97] The Pheu Thai Party also urged the Election Commission to investigate and address the concerns.^[98] Korn Chatikavanij, deputy leader of the Democrat Party, criticized the Election Commission, expressing disappointment that citizens were unable to feel trust in the election process.^[99] Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, the leader of the United Thai Nation Party, posted on his Facebook account demanding a nationwide recount.^[100] The Prachachart Party issued a statement asking the Election Commission to investigate irregularities in Pattani and Narathiwat Constituency 4,^[101] and the Bhumjaithai candidate in Narathiwat Constituency 3 asked for a recount in that constituency.^[102] Former Election Commission member Somchai Srisutthiyakorn criticized the commission's failure to comply with regulations in Chonburi Constituency 1, stating that election showed serious signs of fraud. He further stated that even a recount might not be enough due to the possibility of tampering with improperly sealed boxes and suggested that a repeat election might have to be held in the constituency.^[103]

On 12 February, the Election Commission rejected the requests for recounts in Chonburi and Maha Sarakham, stating that its investigation did not find credible evidence. In the same press briefing, it ordered new elections for three polling stations: one in Bangkok where ballots were damaged by rain, and two in Nan and Udon Thani, where polling station officials incorrectly tore ballots.^[104] It also ordered a recount of the votes in Pathum Thani Constituency 7, which had been subject to complaints that officials failed to properly count votes in view of the public.^[105] Further recounts at eight stations and a fresh election at one station were announced on 17 February,^[106] and nine more on 24 February.^[107]

The Election Commission also faced allegations that the barcodes and QR codes on the election ballots compromised voter secrecy and might be unconstitutional.^[108] The controversy began after social media users analyzed the codes from photos of ballot papers, discovering that they were unique per ballot and could be matched to the counterfoil containing individual voters' signatures, theoretically allowing any individual's vote to be determined.^[109][110] On 14 February, the Election Commission acknowledged that the ballot codes could indeed be used to link voters to their ballots, but defended the process as a legal measure intended to prevent voter fraud, stating that the ballots, counterfoils, and voter registration data were stored separately.^[108] In response, critics argued that the possibility of voter traceability is already inherently unconstitutional, with many citing as precedent the Constitutional Court decision nullifying the 2006 election due to voting booths being positioned with voters' backs towards the public.^[111][112] Legal scholar Prinya Thaewanarumitkul also pointed out that the Election Commission's regulations actually require counterfoils to be kept with the ballots and argued that regardless of storage, the ballots could be photographed during the counting process.^[113]

On 13 February, 12 petitions were submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman, which on 16 February sent a letter to the Election Commission asking it to address the complaints within seven days,^[114] which was later extended by seven more days on the Commission's request.^[115] Multiple cases were filed in the Administrative Court and the Constitutional Court, asking for the election results to be nullified and new elections held.^{[108][112][116]} Politicians from the People's Party and the Thai Sang Thai Party also filed cases against the Election Commission in Criminal Court for misconduct.^[116] Observers noted that new ballots used in repeat elections on 22 February no longer featured serial numbers on the counterfoil.^[117] The Election Commission filed cases against citizen observers at the 22 February election, accusing them of election interference. Critics, including senator Nantana Nantavaropas, said this amounted to a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP).^[118] The Ombudsman decided to forward the case to the Constitutional Court on 13 March.^[119] On 18 March, the court voted 6–3 to accept the Ombudsman's petition and consider the case.^[120]

Incumbent prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul of the Bhumjaithai Party claimed victory with the party projected to win 194 seats, while the opposition People's Party is projected to win just over 116 seats with their leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut similarly conceding the election. The Pheu Thai Party, led by Yodchanan Wongsawat, came third with 76 seats.^[121][6]

On 13 February, Bhumjaithai reached an agreement to form a coalition government with Pheu Thai.^[124]

Incumbent prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul declared victory following the elections. While acknowledging that the official number of MPs have not yet been certified, Anutin stated that the party accepted the expectations from voters that Bhumjaithai would help form the next government. He also promised to govern with integrity, uphold democracy, and congratulated MPs from all parties who won their seats. When asked which coalition Bhumjaithai would make, Anutin stated that he would hold a meeting with the party's executive committee and wait for figures to stabilise.^[125]

Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva stated that the party was prepared to take an opposition role, acknowledging that the Democrats won about 20 seats in the House of Representatives. While accepting that the Democrats fell short in Bangkok, he noted the party's party-list support had significantly increased compared to past elections. Abhisit also pledged to fight corruption and ensure clean governance. When asked about the party's position if invited to a coalition, Abhisit iterated that coalition formation would depend on party conditions, stating that the Democrats would not support any arrangement relating to dark money. He added that the party had not been immediately contacted for coalition talks.^[126]

Deputy Prime Minister Thamanat Prompow first noted that the results exceeded expectations, especially in northern Thailand. He remained confident that the party would surpass more than 50 seats, emphasizing how the ministers and candidates of the Kla Tham Party were actively working in their respective constituencies throughout the campaign. Thamanat remarked that the party was still waiting for a invitation of Bhumjaithai to renew their past coalition.^[127]

People's Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut accepted the preliminary results that indicated the party was unlikely to finish first. After thanking voters, Natthaphong remarked how the constitutional referendum appeared to be approved by the public. He agreed that the party would respect parliamentary process, and to lead the opposition if Bhumjaithai managed to form a government. Natthaphong reiterated that it would not join a government led by a Bhumjaithai prime minister and that it would not form a rival coalition against a potential Bhumjaithai government.^[128]

Pheu Thai leaders also thanked their supporters after the party placed third in the election. Former Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat stated that Pheu Thai respected the democratic process and accepted that government formation was the responsibility of Bhumjaithai. Julapun stated that the party was ready to serve the public, whether in government or opposition. He noted that no discussions on coalition participation had taken place and would also review factors behind its lower performance following the completion of the vote count.^[129]

Sudarat Keyuraphan declared her intention to resign as party leader, stating that "there is no place for idealists" in Thai politics.^[130]