Natthaphong urges voters to choose wisely on Feb 8, calls for a ‘people’s government’

At the Bangkok Youth Center (Thai-Japanese) on the evening of January 17, 2026, Nation Group hosted the “Nation Election 2026 DEBATE: The Crossroads”, bringing together representatives from political parties to present their visions ahead of the February 8 election.

Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, leader of the People’s Party and the party’s No.1 prime ministerial candidate, used the debate stage to call on voters to reflect carefully on their choice, saying the ballot cast on February 8 would determine what kind of government Thailand ends up with.

He said voters should imagine what their vote would translate into once it leaves the ballot box. “Every option on this debate stage—and those not on this stage—means something,” he said. “If you don’t choose well enough, you’ll get the same-looking government again: ministers allocated through factional quotas, with seven or eight MPs producing one minister, each running their own fiefdom with budgets and interests of their own. But if the People’s Party receives enough support, I’m confident we can form a people’s government together.”

Natthaphong said the People’s Party is currently the only party that has already unveiled its real management team for almost every ministry and is fully prepared on policy. Beyond the first 100 days, he said, the party is planning for the full four-year term.

He outlined a policy agenda that begins with plugging economic leakages, stimulating the grassroots economy, resolving debt and land issues, and reducing living costs. Plugging leakages, he said, means dismantling illegal and grey-market goods that lack standards and undermine Thai businesses, as well as establishing a central data hub (data bureau) to break up call-centre scams and grey-capital networks. The party also proposes procurement reform to prevent repeat disasters, such as crane collapses.

Once leakages are addressed, Natthaphong said the focus would shift to stimulating the grassroots economy. He cited a revised co-payment scheme alongside a receipt lottery. While co-payment schemes can help, he said, they are short-lived—“like a brief rainfall that leaves the soil dry again”. A monthly receipt lottery, by contrast, would encourage spending every month. He also outlined liquidity loans for SMEs and debt relief for farmers: those aged 70 and over would have interest paid off immediately; borrowers whose interest does not compound would see their principal cut by half.

The party also plans to reduce household costs, including an immediate 25 satang per unit cut in electricity prices through negotiations with energy groups.

On land rights, Natthaphong said many people still lack secure land tenure. The People’s Party, he said, is ready to unlock land immediately, expanding usable land by 70 million rai and forest areas by 30 million rai, returning rural assets to economic circulation worth an estimated 7 trillion baht—nearly half of Thailand’s GDP. He added that these are just part of a wider platform, with 200 more policies to follow.

“February 8 is the time for everyone to decide carefully. It’s time to form a people’s government together,” Natthaphong said in closing.