Tens of millions of Thais cast their ballots on Sunday in a high-stakes general election that has become a three-way contest between reformists, conservatives and populists, with no party expected to win an outright majority. Approximately 53 million voters were eligible to participate in the snap election to determine the 500-seat House of Representatives, along with a parallel referendum on whether to replace the military-drafted 2017 constitution. Polling stations across the country operated from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time, and vote counting began immediately under public observation to ensure transparency.
Early unofficial results released by the Election Commission showed the progressive People's Party leading the party-list vote with 21 percent after a quarter of stations had reported, followed by the ruling Bhumjaithai Party at 17 percent and Pheu Thai at 16 percent. In constituency races, however, Bhumjaithai held the lead with 171 seats, followed by the Kla Tham Party with 66 and Pheu Thai with 65. Pre-election polling by the NIDA research center had projected Bhumjaithai winning 140 to 150 total seats, the People's Party capturing 125 to 135 seats and Pheu Thai taking 110 to 120 seats. More than 2.2 million citizens had already voted during an early voting period that began on February 1.
The election represents a major test for Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who took office in September 2025 after the Constitutional Court removed his predecessor from the Pheu Thai party. Anutin's Bhumjaithai Party has campaigned on national security, economic stimulus and nationalist messaging tied to border tensions with Cambodia. The party is considered the preferred choice of the royalist-military establishment and has built strong grassroots networks in the vote-rich northeastern provinces. Political analysts noted that Bhumjaithai's organizational strength in rural constituencies could allow it to form the next government even without winning the most party-list votes.
The People's Party, successor to the Move Forward Party that won the most seats in the 2023 election but was blocked from forming a government, ran on a platform of sweeping reforms to curb the influence of the military, police and judiciary. Led by Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, the party drew strong support from young and urban voters who see it as the best vehicle for democratic change. Despite its projected plurality in party-list voting, the People's Party faces potential exclusion from coalition negotiations, as rival parties have signaled reluctance to partner with a group whose reform agenda threatens established power structures.
Pheu Thai, backed by exiled billionaire former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, fielded his nephew Yodchanan Wongsawat as its prime ministerial candidate. The party campaigned on promises of economic revival and cash handouts, seeking to recapture the rural voter base that powered multiple Shinawatra-linked governments over the past two decades. Pheu Thai's fortunes have been marked by repeated electoral victories followed by military coups and court-ordered dissolutions, a cycle that remains central to Thailand's turbulent political landscape.
Sunday's ballot also included a constitutional referendum asking voters whether parliament should begin the formal process of drafting a new charter to replace the 2017 constitution, which was written under military rule after the 2014 coup. Pro-democracy advocates characterized the vote as a critical step toward reducing the influence of unelected institutions, while conservative voices warned that constitutional change could introduce instability. The referendum required a simple majority to pass, and its outcome would authorize parliament to begin drafting rather than approve a specific new document.
Coalition negotiations were expected to begin in the coming days, with 251 seats needed to form a parliamentary majority. Official certification of results could take up to 60 days, with the new parliament required to convene within 15 days of certification to elect a prime minister and parliamentary speakers. With more than 50 parties contesting the election but only three possessing nationwide organizational capacity, the shape of the next government hinges on which alliances emerge from what analysts have described as Thailand's most consequential vote in a generation.
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