People’s Party readies prime ministerial candidate as popularity dips
Natthaphong Rueangpanyawut, leader of the People’s Party, thanks the public for feedback after a dip in popularity, pledging to improve. He reveals the People’s Party will unveil its PM candidate by late January 2026.
- The People's Party is preparing to name a prime ministerial candidate as its leader, Natthaphong Rueangpanyawut, acknowledges his declining popularity in a recent Nida Poll.
- The party may unveil its candidate around late January, once the timeline for a potential House dissolution and the next election becomes clearer.
- Natthaphong noted that some potential candidates may prefer to be announced after the election is over, rather than during the campaign period.
Natthaphong Rueangpanyawut, list-MP and leader of the People’s Party, commented at Parliament on Monday (September 29) on the latest Nida Poll results, which showed his personal popularity declining while Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s ratings continued to climb.
Natthaphong said he welcomed the feedback. “Poll results rise and fall. When they rise, I thank the people. When they fall, I must reflect and improve my work. I appreciate the voices expressed through the polls,” he said.
He urged the public to closely follow the People’s Party’s performance over the next four months. “Every step we take and every action in parliament will show why we decided to back Anutin. Our work will prove beneficial and help find solutions for the country,” he added.
Asked whether the party would adjust its strategy for the next election, given that Bhumjaithai and Anutin are emerging as the main rivals, Natthaphong said planning was already underway. Since signing the party’s internal MOA, the People’s Party has been building a campaign team to shape election strategies, identify candidates, and prepare potential cabinet line-ups, with formal announcements to come at the right time.
On when the party might unveil its own prime ministerial candidate, he said it could be around late January, once the House dissolution becomes clearer and the election officially begins. “Some of those we have approached may not wish to be introduced during the campaign, preferring instead to be announced after the election when a government is formed. For now, it is too early to reveal names,” Natthaphong noted.
As for the recent by-election in Si Sa Ket’s Constituency 5, where some observers suggested Bhumjaithai gained votes from the Move Forward Party’s base (the predecessor of the People’s Party), Natthaphong declined to speculate. “It is not my place to judge whether voters shifted from one party to another. That contest was between Pheu Thai and Bhumjaithai. It is for Pheu Thai to assess why the results turned out as they did. For me, the takeaway is to learn and adjust in preparation for the future,” he said.
