Thailand Election 2026: Natthapong Ruengpanyawut and the People’s Party
2026-01-26 - 12:39
With the 8 February 2026 general election looming, Thailand’s race for prime minister pits known quantities against untested alternatives. Khaosod English examines four leading PM candidates, weighing their records, credibility and the risks that come with each. In this first installment, we look at Natthapong Ruengpanyawut of the People’s Party. Natthapong Ruengpanyawut, People’s Party leader and PM candidate The People’s Party (PP), commonly known as the “Orange Party”, will seek to overcome the jinx that some say dooms them: that they may win but will be unable to form a government or govern. This stems from the fact that in the 2023 general election, then Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat—the precursor to the People’s Party—won 151 seats and announced plans to be elected prime minister. However, in the first round of parliamentary voting on 13 July 2023, Pita was not elected by the Parliament, as he lacked votes from the junta-appointed Senate. Later, on 19 July, he was suspended as an MP by the Constitutional Court over shares in the defunct broadcaster iTV and banned from holding political office for 10 years. Meanwhile, Pita’s second nomination on the same day was blocked by the National Assembly. Since then, many, including most recently on Friday, prominent Pheu Thai Party member Nattawut Saikua, have argued that even if the PP wins the most seats again this time, the “deep state” will ensure that Natthapong cannot form a government or become PM. Natthapong Ruengpanyawut’s official photo, 2025. At present, Natthapong is among the 44 key party members who are facing potential lifetime bans from politics and removal from office due to their involvement in a 2021 petition to amend the controversial lèse-majesté law, which prohibits defaming, insulting, or threatening the King, Queen, Heir-apparent, or Regent in Thailand The case is currently with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), which is reviewing allegations that these MPs committed “serious ethical violations” by attempting to amend the draconian and anachronistic law law, which the Charter Court ruled was an attempt to undermine the constitutional monarchy. The NACC has completed its investigation and is preparing to vote on whether to indict the 44 former MPs, with rulings expected in early 2026. When Natthapong spoke to a thousand supporters on Sunday evening, he didn’t address the matter but urged voters to hand his party a clear mandate through a landslide victory in order to “leave old politics behind.” Though less charismatic than the Harvard-educated Pita, the 38-year-old Natthapong has demonstrated growing confidence and leadership over the past few years. Voting for Natthapong, a Thammasat University–trained computer engineer from a relatively wealthy middle-class Thai-Chinese family, will be less about the man himself and more about ensuring that the Orange Party can finally break the jinx and bring about numerous changes to Thailand. If there is a single party driven by donations from the general public rather than big donors, and by a more liberal, if not progressive, ideology, it is the People’s Party. Yet the party under Natthapong, the youngest of the four leading PM candidates, is not without scandal. Natthapong took an ultra-nationalist stance during two border wars between Thailand and Cambodia last year and stated that he supported the use of Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets to drop bombs on Cambodian targets. Under his leadership, the party also made a controversial decision to sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Bhumjaithai Party (BJT) last September. This led BJT leader Anutin Charnvirakul to form a minority government, with Anutin accepting conditions for a four-month term. However, by December 2025, Bhumjaithai exited the coalition by dissolving the House of Representatives, leading to the upcoming election on 8 February. The PP failed to deliver the amendment of the junta-sponsored constitution as per the MOA, and some PP supporters were alienated, vowing not to support the People’s Party in the coming election as a result. Natthapong Ruengpanyawut campaigns with the party’s MP candidates in Nakhon Si Thammarat on 26 January. Pita told this writer in a brief ambush interview on Sunday evening that he thinks “the biggest obstacle is voter turnout” and that his job is to convince more people to vote for the party to hand it a decisive victory. Pita added that last time, turnout was 76 per cent—the largest in Thai history. He noted, however, that he believes many voters remain undecided. When asked how confident he is that the People’s Party will win big again in less than two weeks, Pita told Khaosod English he is “extremely confident,” but added that this comes with preparation and significant strategic planning. Some MP candidates told Khaosod English that the “magic number” is 200 seats, although most polls suggest it will be around 140–150 seats. When I observed the crowd at a major rally in Bangkok on Sunday evening, the turnout was decent but not overwhelming, as it was in 2023. One supporter, Mr Sayam Dulyapach, 41, a Bangkok-based architect, told me he chose Natthapong Ruengpanyawut for the following reasons: “Amid Thailand’s political atmosphere in 2026, the excessive power of judicial activism, the legacy of the [junta-sponsored] 2017 Constitution, entrenched old networks that perpetuate power, and the deep state have led Thailand to be viewed as a ‘flawed but resilient democracy.’ “Thailand has weathered countless political storms, ranging from bread-and-butter economic issues and problems within the justice system to interference with independent organisations and restrictions on freedom of expression. Yet Thailand continues to be governed under a democratic system and is moving toward a ‘rebalancing of power’ through the snap election scheduled for 8 February. The outcome of the election and the referendum will likely answer whether Thai democracy will move closer to international democratic norms or remain trapped within its old structural constraints. “Personally, I believe that the face of the next prime minister is less important than political will. Whether it is a vision for technology and modern state reform, a new constitution drafted by the people, ending military conscription in favour of a professional military under civilian control, using digital systems to increase government transparency, universal welfare, or the introduction of a technocratic cabinet—none of these truly matter if Thailand’s political structure remains stuck where it is. “So, back to the question: why do I choose Natthapong Ruengpanyawut? Because the People’s Party is the only political party which, if it receives sufficient support from the people, can genuinely restore Thai politics to a state of normalcy. The election on 8 February 2026 is widely seen as the ‘first rung of the ladder,’ as it will be the first election in which senators no longer have the power to vote for the prime minister. I am ready to choose Natthapong Ruengpanyawut as the 33rd Prime Minister of Thailand.”