Thailand Election 2026: Youth-linked orange wave propelled a celebration to win final ballot – will historical past repeat itself? | USAEMALL.com

REFORMIST DNA

The People’s Party has entered this period of campaigning as a more moderate force in “mood and tone”, according to deputy leader Sirikanya Tansakun.

It has softened its stance on reforming royal insult law, according to party leaders, and on the role of the military in national affairs to broaden its support across the country.

Its major policies in the 2026 election fall under the “3 Thai” vision, focused on transparency, equality and modern governance. It wants to overhaul the justice system and anti-corruption mechanisms, expand social security and improve public transport.

Sirijkanya said the party’s reformist DNA has not changed.

“Maybe there’s a feeling that we have become less progressive. But I think our values since 2018, since we founded the Future Forward Party, are still there. As the time passed, we have become more mature,” she told CNA.

The party wants to prove it can turn the idealism of the past eight years into reality, she said.

“In 2019 it was about reclaiming democracy, and people were fed up with the coup and its legacies. And for 2023 it’s a little bit changed to anger and anxiety about the whole regime, and they want change. And this time, they know they want change, but they are wondering ‘how’.

“So that’s why we have to position ourselves to make sure that we have the competence, we have the capability to deliver the change,” she said.

Rangsiman Rome, another deputy leader at the People’s Party, said that expectations for change among voters, especially young people, was high at the last election, especially when the party won the popular vote.

But the reality of Thai politics had been a sobering experience and forced a readjustment to the party’s approach. “Even if you won the election, it doesn’t mean that you can be prime minister,” he told CNA.

Now, there is a strong focus on youth – the party’s solid support base – to be “a bridge to every generation”, Rangsiman said.

“We want to make sure that Thailand will be the country for everyone, not just for the old, not just for the working class, but for everyone,” he said.

The party has nominated three prime ministerial candidates this time around: Natthaphong, Sirikanya and Veerayooth Kanthuchat, another party deputy leader with a background as a political economist.

But none of them has the charisma and appeal of previous candidates, Pita or banned party co-founder Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, making broader appeal “a tough job”, according to Stithorn.

And without a galvanising issue, like removing elements of the military junta from power, mobilising enough voters could prove difficult, the analyst said.