Name: Thai elections: Hope for change, or an unstable future awaits? | DW News
Uploaded: 2026-02-07T16:59:40.000Z
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The country is heading into a closely watched election that could test the country's long promised return to stable civilian rule.

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The polls are seen as a three way race between conservatives, populists and the Progressive People's Party, which polls suggest is picking up support from younger voters.

Thailand's parliament is deeply fragmented and a coalition government is the Most likely outcome.

DW's Southeast Asia correspondent Georg Mattes is in the Thai capital, Bangkok.

A lot of hope rests on this man's shoulders.

Natapong Ruang Panyarwood, the former tech executive is now the frontman of the Progressive People's Party and could become Thailand's next leader.

Are you ready to choose a new constitution?

His party won the last election by a landslide but was pushed into opposition.

MPs like Buntin Nongjom now hope to defend their seats and finally make it into government.

If you would like to keep the things they are, choose the previous party.

We are only the one alternative left for the people to protect the interests of the people, to change things if you want something new.

In the last election, the People's Party won over young voters in particular.

Many are now campaigning with younger candidates.

Even conservative parties like Phum Chai Thai.

The interim Prime Minister tells me, what kind of change will you bring for Thailand?

We haven't had much progress for a long time, you know, and

now I think we've lost many, many years in terms of economic progress.

One thing Phumchaitai wants to keep the military firmly in charge of the armed border dispute with neighboring Cambodia.

The conflict has fueled nationalism and party leader Anutin hopes to capitalize on that, building a conservative pro military coalition to return to power.

They are incapable of solving border conflict and if we elect them so it will go on another four years.

Come and find common interest and then try to find peaceful solution.

Expectations are high across Thailand's political spectrum, but one thing is almost certain.

And that was a report by DW Asia Pacific bureau chief Georg Mattis who's joining us now from the Thai capital, Bangkok.

Georg, are we looking at change in Thailand and at a stable government?

And that's a question many Thai people have raised here.

I would say it really depends on what kind of coalition can be formed.

There's basically two Rough options here.

You have the People's Party, we've seen it in the report.

They could team up with a pure Thai party, basically a labor oriented party that also is strong in rural areas in Thailand and form a government.

Or you have the Boomchai Thai Party which was also seen in the report with Prime Minister Anantin, caretaker prime minister I should say.

And that would cover the conservative camp.

Whoever gets a strong majority and a strong mandate can create a stable government if either side will make it.

That we will have to see and find out tomorrow now.

And what are the main topics that will actually decide which party people will vote for?

I would say definitely economy, Economy, economy.

You have heard the foreign minister here in my report.

That is something that is a big concern, particularly for young people.

Low wage labor is lacking in Thailand and skilled labor is finding it difficult to find good jobs.

And then of course you have the ongoing border conflict, the armed conflict with neighboring Cambodia that has been left to the military to handle.

But the financial outfall of all of this, the lacking border trade, all the cost that comes with this expensive conflict, one has to say and needs to be handled by the civilian government and it will fall into the hands of whoever gets into the seat of power.

Now the People's Party is leading in the polls and as we've seen in your report, it was stopped last time.

Nevertheless, will this change this time?

Do supporters believe this time will be different?

Now of course, that is what supporters hope and the party rather cleverly acted I would say.

Now they have a couple of years experience in the opposition.

They've learned how this game works in Thailand, how it, how the political system works and they've backtracked on some of their more radical idea.

For instance, a reform of the Lise Majest, the royal defamation law that you have in Thailand that prohibits that you criticize the king publicly, things like that, sensitive stuff like that, big breakups of.

They have moved away from that and want to slowly start reforming the system.

And I think that's what a lot of voters also expect.

They have learned two prime ministers have been deinstalled in three years.

Things will not go fast, but they could move forward slowly.

But first, of course Thailand needs a government and if no party wins outright, what coalitions look likely?

Well then you would have the exact deadlock that many fear here.

The you have a huge number of parties, a huge number of interest groups behind these parties, and

they're not really made for coalition building.

In the last election to elect the prime minister, for instance, you still had the upper house, the Senate, to decide as well.

And that is a big plus for the People's Party, for instance, because their candidate was blocked by the Senate in the last round.

But it, it means that coalitions have become all the more important.

However, most parties have said they don't want to say who they can work together with.

So it's very hard to tell at this point who could be a strong coalition, which party has the best chances that we'll have to wait and see.