Test of 2026 election momentum: Nationalism vs ‘With us, no grey’
Thailand’s 2026 election shapes into a battle between rising nationalism and the People’s Party’s “With us, no grey” anti-grey-capital campaign
As Thailand moves towards an early-2026 general election, the political climate is increasingly shaped by efforts to build electoral momentum. Both overt and subtle political messaging now revolves around gaining strategic advantage ahead of the polls.
Much of the discussion centres on political waves—how they form and how they are used. The People’s Party, formerly the Future Forward party’s successor in spirit, had previously risen to prominence by “riding the wave” of public sentiment. Future Forward, founded to break Thailand’s vicious cycle of coups, surged in popularity through its pro-democracy platform, military reform agenda and anti-monopoly policies. Only a year after its formation, it won 81 seats in the 2019 general election.
Later, Move Forward Party (MFP) became the second home for Future Forward’s “DNA” after the former was dissolved. The rise of the “anti-Prayut” sentiment at the time, driven by resentment toward Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha’s eight years in power—both as coup-installed prime minister and later as an elected candidate—created the political wind MFP capitalised on. With the slogan “If there's an uncle, there's no us,” Move Forward stunned the nation by winning 151 seats in the 2023 election.
Looking towards early 2026, if Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul dissolves parliament as agreed with the People’s Party during the formation of the minority government, elections will certainly be held. This has opened the moment for People's Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut (“Teng”) to ride a new wave—this time one the party created itself: “With us, no grey.” Borrowed in tone from Move Forward’s earlier slogan, but crafted entirely by People's Party, it is seen as a confident and unembarrassed political manoeuvre.
The campaign traces its roots to People's Party MP Rangsiman Rome, who relentlessly pursued investigations into cybercrime networks in Cambodia. As chair of the parliamentary committee on national security, he pushed cross-border cybercrime as an emergency agenda item at the 151st IPU Assembly in Geneva, gaining overwhelming support. This thrust Cambodia’s scam centres onto the global stage and drew attention to Thailand’s links to money laundering, grey capital and politically connected individuals.
Working in tandem with Bangkok MP Rukchanok Srinork, Rome continued to expose the nexus between political figures and transnational scam operations. Meanwhile, MP Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn also warned the government of a no-confidence offensive unless online crime was addressed, urging Thailand to take the regional lead in combatting scammers.
With public momentum building, several People’s Party MPs — Chutiphong Pipoppinyo, Parit Wacharasindhu, Thanadet Pengsuk and others — rallied under Teng’s leadership to pressure PM Anutin not to leave the issue solely to the security agencies.
Seeing an opportunity to convert national attention into electoral capital, the People’s Party launched its first official 2026 campaign: “With us, no grey.”
The surge was strengthened by disclosures from celebrities, whistleblowers and senior police officers about politicians and officers aiding scam syndicates.
On October 25, 2025, Teng unveiled the party’s policy clusters for the 2026 election:
- With us, no grey – policies targeting crime suppression, scam networks, grey capital, corruption and transparent governance
- With us, better quality of life – welfare, environment, and modern security policy
- With us, a new economy – new economic engines and investment
- With us, democracy – political reform, constitution, military reform, civil liberties, decentralisation and judicial improvements
- With us, Thailand has a future – public-administration reform, upskilling and capacity building for citizens
Teng insisted:
“Everyone knows these problems have existed for years. Now is the time to stop ignoring them. With our detailed policies, capable team and political will, the People’s Party will deliver. We’ve worked hard as opposition, and people can trust we will work even harder in government.”
A key point is that the “With us, no grey” campaign allows People’s Party to avoid clashing head-on with the nationalist wave fuelled by escalating Thai–Cambodian border tensions. The party had earlier been criticised for questioning the military’s actions in the border conflict, leading some to accuse People’s Party of being unpatriotic or lacking empathy for injured soldiers. These views hurt the party’s popularity among nationalist-leaning voters.
By contrast, “With us, no grey” is not about territorial nationalism but about cracking down on grey capital and political actors laundering money through Cambodia-based scam networks. The Cambodian angle here is about transnational crime — not land disputes — and aligns People’s Party with global efforts to dismantle scam syndicates.
Thus, the People’s Party positions itself as tough on scammers and grey networks, including those with links to Cambodian operations.
Still, avoiding the nationalist fault line is difficult. People’s Party’s ideological DNA — rooted in questioning military power — continues to place it in opposition to nationalist narratives.
One example is the recent criticism from Warong Dechgitvigrom, leader of the Thai Pakdee Party, who posted on Facebook under the hashtag #ชาตินิยมยังดีกว่าชังชาติ (NationalismIsBetterThanAntiNation). He claimed he was relieved Teng was not prime minister, questioning how Teng would deal with Cambodian aggression and implying that Teng would need permission from the United States before acting. He further accused Teng of mocking those who love and defend the nation.
Warong’s post followed Teng’s comments criticising PM Anutin for indefinitely suspending the peace declaration, arguing that Thailand should push the United States, ASEAN and the international community to exert diplomatic pressure—even while expressing sorrow for Thai soldiers injured by landmines.
Earlier images of Teng criticising the Paetongtarn Shinawatra government for granting the military full authority during the border clashes, and the subsequent criticism from several People’s Party MPs, entrenched the perception among some voters that People’s Party stands opposite the nationalist wave.
In this context, the People’s Party’s core strategy is to keep the “With us, no grey” narrative alive until election day — and to ensure every MP candidate is thoroughly vetted to avoid even the slightest “grey” stain. The party is acutely aware that elections are a period of fierce exposés and accusations; the campaign must withstand scrutiny to be credible.
Above all, People’s Party must navigate the nationalist sentiment, which remains volatile. Any misstep could ignite a rapid backlash.
This sets the stage for two powerful narratives — nationalism versus “With us, no grey” — to clash head-to-head in the 2026 election. The battle lines are drawn. Wait and see.
