By Thai Newsroom Reporters
A TRIO OF PARTIES, namely the Bhumjaithai, Pheu Thai and People’s, are decisively contesting against one another in the Feb.8 election throughout northeastern Thailand where most of the country’s constituencies are located with results being forecast to come out in neck-and-neck fashion, according to a reliable NIDA academic.
Pichai Ratanadilok na Phuket, the director of NIDA’s Political & Development Strategies Project, confirmed that the ultra-conservative Bhumjaithai, currently core of the caretaker government, the neo-conservative Pheu Thai and the reformist People’s are unrelentingly vying against one another for most of the total 133 northeastern constituencies with their respective contestants running in constituency-based mode.
The Bhumjaithai under de facto party boss Newin Chidchob is not apparently focusing on electoral contests in party-listed mode anywhere in the Isaan region but vigorously looking to grab as many MP seats as possible in constituency-based mode whilst Caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul would undoubtedly play a significant role to some extent albeit in tacit, discreet fashion, given his concurrent status not only as the Bhumjaithai leader but interior minister who lawfully supervises performances of all administrative government personnel ranging from provincial and district government officials to village and tambon headmen.
In the 2023 election, Newin’s camp secured 35 MP seats for the northeastern constituencies, compared to 72 won by the Pheu Thai under de facto party boss/inmate Thaksin Shinawatra and eight by the People’s, leaving 18 others to relatively small parties. According to the latest NIDA poll entitled “The First Round of the 2026 Election”, the partisan popularity among Isaan constituents for the People’s was found at 27%, compared to 26% and 23% for the Bhumjaithai and Pheu Thai respectively.
Pichai remarked that bases of popular support for the People’s ostensibly differ from that for the Bhumjaithai and Pheu Thai throughout Isaan, the country’s most decisive region in electoral terms. The People’s would significantly secure popular support among townspeople and those in inner areas of the northeastern provinces whilst the Bhumjaithai and Pheu Thai would roughly share it.
Meanwhile, the ultra-conservative Bhumjaithai is engaging in all-out contests against the Old School conservative Democrats led by former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and the reformist People’s led by Nattapong Ruengpanyawut, both being respective partisan candidates for head of a post-election government in competition with the caretaker prime minister, for most of the total 59 southern constituencies. The reliable opinion poll has found the popularity among southern constituents for the Democrats rising to 39%, compared to 20% and 15% for the People’s and Bhumjaithai respectively. In the previous election throughout the southern region, the Democrats grabbed 17 MP seats whilst Bhumjaithai secured 12 and the People’s three.
Nevertheless, Newin’s camp is considerably speculated to get more southern MPs than in the previous election due to en masse defection of ex-Democrat MPs to his own whilst the ultra-conservative Klatham under de facto party boss Thammanat Prompao who recruited several renegades among former lawmakers from other camps is also speculated to grab some southern MP seats.
In Bangkok, the People’s is forecast to win all of the total 33 constituencies of the capital where they grabbed all but one in the previous election, given their overwhelming popularity among Bangkokian voters reported at 46%, compared to 14% for the Bhumjaithai, 12% for the Democrats and 10% for the Pheu Thai, the latest poll says.
CAPTIONS:
Top and Front Page – Caretaker Prime Minister/Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul, second left, People’s leader Nattapong Ruengpanyawut, centre, and Pheu Thai prime minister candidate Yodchanan Wongsawat, right, at Thailand Vision 2025 programme. Photos – Amarin TV
First insert – Academic Pichai Ratanadilok na Phuket. Photo – Thai Rath
Second insert – Democrat leader and prime minister candidate Abhisit Vejjajiva introducing eight election candidates. Photo – Naewna
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