Overview
- More than 53 million voters will fill 400 constituency seats and 100 party-list seats in the 500-member lower house, and the Senate no longer takes part in choosing the prime minister.
- Late-January surveys show the People’s Party ahead and its leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut as the top prime ministerial pick, yet analysts expect coalition bargaining under the 2017 rules.
- A nationwide referendum on the same day asks whether to begin drafting a new constitution, with a majority “Yes” triggering a multi‑stage process and further votes.
- The People’s Party has dropped its push to reform the lèse‑majesté law, a tactical shift after predecessors were dissolved over similar positions.
- Border tensions with Cambodia and transnational scams have pushed security and foreign policy to the fore, with major parties recruiting veteran diplomats and Bhumjaithai leaning into nationalist messaging.