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Thai PM claims election victory with conservatives well ahead of rivals

Published

4 weeks ago

2026/02/9

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PM Anutin celebrated at his party's Bangkok headquarters (BBC)

Prime Minister Anutin Charnavirakul has claimed victory in Thailand’s general election, with preliminary vote counts putting his ruling conservatives well ahead of their rivals.

Anutin said his success belonged to “all Thais, no matter whether you voted for us or not”, after his party’s expected result defied opinion polls that had placed the reformist People’s Party ahead.

With 90% of the votes counted, Anutin’s Bhumjaithai party projected to win 194 seats in Bangkok’s 500-seat parliament, with the People’s Party in second place on 116.

People’s Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut appeared to concede the election, saying he was ready to serve in opposition if Anutin could form a government.

The election was called after several coalition governments collapsed, giving the country three prime ministers in as many years.

While no party is projected to gain an overall majority, paving the way for coalition talks, Anutin is now almost certain to stay in office.

Elections in Thailand are often unpredictable, and so it proved this time.

This shock result is a huge disappointment for the People’s Party, which had expected to improve on its winning performance of three years ago.

But a widely expected “orange wave” of support for its young, idealistic candidates did not materialise.

The party, which won the election in 2023 but was blocked from taking power, found itself pushed into second place by Anutin’s pragmatic conservatives.

The reformists will remain in opposition for now. The feared crisis that could have occurred had they won, and once again been barred from office, has been averted.

Opinion polls have frequently been wrong in Thailand, but there will be a lot of post-election analysis of how Anutin turned his once small, provincial Bhumjaithai – “Thai Pride”- party into a such formidable electoral machine.

Playing on patriotic sentiment after the two short border wars with Cambodia last year, Anutin’s party became the standard-bearer for conservatives, promising to defend the status of traditional Thai institutions like the monarchy and military.

He campaigned on hard-line nationalist sentiments and populist giveaways – but his victory was also down to his ability to win local power-brokers to his side, in an electoral system where 80% of seats were decided on a first-past-the-post basis.

The People’s Party did well in the proportional votes, where it appears to have got more votes than any other party. But it was unable to overcome its lack of networks at a local level.

The third main contender was the Shinawatra family and its Pheu Thai – “For Thais” – party, which is projected to win 86 seats.

In the past it dominated elections, with well-marketed populist policies. It had promised to create nine new millionaires – in Thai baht – every day through a national prize draw. Both Bhumjaithai and Pheu Thai have offered subsidies and cash handouts to voters.

Pheu Thai was expected to lose significant support in this election after its last coalition administration was accused of mishandling the conflict with Cambodia, and its patriarch, former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, was sent to jail.

Thailand’s once dynamic economy has ground to a halt as political instability and the lack of structural changes worry foreign investors. Voters, meanwhile, had voiced concerns about rising costs.

“I want the economy to improve and I don’t want big factories to relocate to our neighbouring countries,” civil servant Phananya Bunthong told the BBC, a reference to Thailand falling behind Vietnam.

The People’s Party promised big changes, from curbing the power of the biggest businesses and military, to streamlining the extensive bureaucracy and modernising the education system.

But in Thailand, even a straight election victory may not have been enough, as powerful, unelected forces have repeatedly intervened to block parties challenging the status quo.

Two previous incarnations of the People’s Party were dissolved by the court, and their leaders banned from politics. When the young reformers won last time, the military-appointed senate barred them from forming a government and the constitutional court dissolved the party.

They are not the only ones to have been subjected to intervention by the constitutional court, and other unelected conservative institutions. Five Pheu Thai prime ministers have been dismissed by the court since 2008, and two earlier incarnations of the party have been dissolved.

But if the People’s Party had exceeded the 151 seats it won in 2023, it may have proven difficult to bar it from forming a government. This is despite the great unease about its radical agenda in conservative and royalist circles.

The projected result means the People’s Party’s opponents will not be in this position, for now.

Besides the election, Thais have voted in a referendum on whether to reform the 2017 constitution, which was drafted under military rule in 2017.

Critics of the charter believe it gives too much power to unelected forces like the senate, “handcuffing” the country’s democracy.

With over 90% of votes counted, preliminary tallies suggested around 65% had voted in favour.

“I want change. I don’t want things to be the same,” 28-year-old Kittitat Daengkongkho told the BBC.

That, in effect, was the choice Thai voters were presented with in this election: sweeping change, or more of the same.

Getty Images Voters cast their ballots at a polling station during Thailand's general election in Bangkok, Thailand. — *People in Thailand voted in the election throughout Sunday (BBC)*

(**BBC**)

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Nepal election 2026: Counting continues with rapper Balendra Shah’s party close to super-majority

Published

2 hours ago

2026/03/10

Priyan

[pic BBC]

Counting is continuing in Nepal as the party of rapper and ex-Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah is potentially just one seat away from winning a super-majority in parliament.

The Rastriya Swatantra Party‘s win would mark the first time in decades that a single party has won a majority in Nepal, which has a two-system format that makes it difficult for any one party to win outright

If the RSP secures a two-thirds majority, it would also be the first time in decades that a single party has achieved this

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Madagascar military leader dissolves government in surprise move

Published

3 hours ago

2026/03/10

Priyan

Col Michael Randrianirina seized power last October in the wake of youth-led protests [BBC]

Madagascar’s military ruler Col Michael Randrianirina has dissolved the government unexpectedly, dismissing the prime minister and the entire cabinet, according to a statement from his spokesperson.

“The government has ceased its functions” it said, adding that Randrianirina will appoint a new prime minister “in line with the provisions stipulated by the constitution”.

No reason was given for the move.

Randrianirina seized power last October from Andry Rajoelina, following weeks of youth-led protests on the Indian Ocean island. Rajoelina had been elected president for a third term in a disputed poll in 2023.

The demonstrations were over persistent power and water shortages, culminating in the army siding with the demonstrators.

Randrianirina has pledged to call new elections within two years.

Last December, the regional bloc, the Southern African Development Community (Sadc), directed Madagascar’s military authorities to submit a roadmap for restoring democracy including plans for fresh elections by the end of February.

But in a surprise on Monday, Randrianirina sacked his entire government and assigned permanent secretaries to run ministries’ day-to-day operations until a new cabinet is formed.

Randrianirina has not explained the motivation for the mass sackings, but leaders of the Gen Z movement, whose grassroots mobilisation helped bring the military leader to power, have called for more inclusiveness in the transition process and greater representation in decision-making structures.

Activist groups, calling themselves Gen Z and Gen Y movements, had recently issued a 72-hour ultimatum for Randrianirina’s resignation, citing frustration with his performance, local media reported.

Businessman Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo had been appointed prime minister in October in an effort to bridge the divide between military leadership and civilian government.

The the Gen Z movement leaders rejected his appointment at the time, saying it was made in a “non-transparent” manner and “without consultation”.

The group demanded to know how Rajaonarivelo was selected given what it said were his connection to the previous government.

They then said that the decision “runs contrary to the desired structural change” the movement was seeking.

Monday’s dissolution of the government could mark a significant shift in the country’s political landscape with the military leader seeking to establish a new administration.

[BBC]

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ICC Board meetings in Doha called off due to West Asia conflict

Published

4 hours ago

2026/03/10

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Some ICC meetings will take place virtually over the next few weeks [Cricinfo]

The ICC Board and committee meetings scheduled for later this month in Doha have been called off due to the ongoing military conflict in West Asia. ESPNcricinfo understands that specific meetings, particularly those pertaining to the finance committee will take place virtually over the next few weeks. The possibility of in-person meetings in April remains open but much will depend on whether airspace has sufficiently re-opened for the board and committee members to fly safely.

The meetings were originally scheduled for March 25 to 27 and were due to include ICC Board Directors, Chief Executives, Committee members and ICC senior leadership. Three of the key issues up for discussion were global broadcasting rights ,with the deal between the ICC and *JioStar set to end in 2027, initial discussions over the next FTP and Olympic qualification for LA 2028. The second of those have already begun informally with several members approaching others as they make plans for cricket’s next four-year calendar.

This was the first time the ICC was due to meet in Qatar, which reports a cricketing participation growth rate of 447%. With limited flights to and from the country, hosting the meetings was deemed impossible at this time.

The crisis in West Asia has had an impact on scheduling too. The white-ball series between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, scheduled to be held in the UAE from March 13 to 25, is likely to be postponed indefinitely.

[Cricinfo]