Bangkok: Thailand’s Democrat Party announced on Friday that three candidates, led by party leader and former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, will run for the country’s next Prime Minister in the upcoming general election.
The party unveiled its candidate line-up in a campaign video released on social media the same day. Alongside Abhisit, the candidates include two deputy party leaders: Korn Chatikavanij, a former finance minister, and Karndee Leopairote, Xinhua News Agency reported.
In the video, Abhisit emphasised that overcoming poverty in Thailand requires building a clean political system and enhancing transparency across all sectors.
Abhisit served as Thailand’s Prime Minister from 2008 to 2011. After losing the 2019 general election, he resigned as Democrat Party leader and left the party in 2023. He made a political comeback in October 2025 by rejoining the party and was subsequently re-elected as its leader.
Thailand is set to hold elections for the new House of Representatives on February 8, 2026. Political parties are required to submit their prime ministerial candidates between December 28 and 31 this year, with a maximum of three candidates per party.
On December 11, Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said in a social media post that he would “request to return power to the people,” a remark widely interpreted as a possible hint that he intends to dissolve parliament.
On December 3, Anutin Charnvirakul outlined a plan for its security agency to shift from defensive to proactive operations by 2026, prioritising the fight against cybercrime, illicit drugs, and environmental hazards.
During a policy meeting at the Government House, Anutin, who is also the Interior Minister, told military chiefs and senior officials that the Internal Security Operations Command must modernize to address “sustainable and people-centric” security needs.
Anutin ordered an urgent crackdown on call-center gangs, online scammers, and cross-border drug trafficking. He specifically instructed the agency to upgrade its intelligence capabilities to intercept “fake news” and disinformation that threatens social stability.
Underscoring the expectation of achieving “tangible results,” Anutin noted that security forces must act to resolve root causes of public hardship rather than solely reacting to incidents.
(IANS)
