Rak Chart claims vote-buying money could hit THB 200bn, alleges Bangkok rate up to THB 7,500 per head

Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, leader of the Rak Chart Party, together with Jade Thonawanik, the party’s prime ministerial candidate, led the party’s campaign team on Tuesday to Saphan 2 Market in Wang Thonglang district, Bangkok.

Jade said that after raising the issue of money circulating last week, the party had received “intelligence reports” pointing to alarming financial irregularities.

“Funds being injected into the election system in local areas could be as high as 100 billion baht. There are also rumours of large-scale cash withdrawals from commercial banks worth more than 160 billion baht, and no bank has come out to deny it. When you add the figures together, the money in circulation could be as high as 200 billion baht,” he said.

Based on those calculations, he claimed vote-buying rates had risen abnormally. “In Bangkok, the price has surged to as much as 7,500 baht per head. In the provinces, the average is about 3,000 to 5,000 baht per head,” he said.

Jade alleged the vast sums were “grey money” from illegal businesses and scammer networks both inside and outside the country. He warned that accepting such money would amount to supporting political parties that later seek to recoup their costs through corruption.

He also cited past subdistrict administrative organisation elections, alleging there were cases where payments were short, not paid in full, or promised but never delivered. Rak Chart, he said, calls such figures “scammer-style politicians” who deceive the public.

On the political situation, Jade said the country was heading towards disaster because political parties had split into two “dangerous poles”: major parties that use “ammunition” (money) to buy votes to gain power, and those that claim to ride on popularity—saying they do not use money—while allegedly harbouring a hidden agenda to rewrite the constitution and amend Chapters 1 and 2, which the party views as undermining the country’s foundations.

Chaiwut also delivered a sharp rebuke to the Election Commission (EC), saying it had the tools, laws and election inspectors across the country, and that it was impossible for the EC not to know about vote-buying taking place at polling stations nationwide.

“This problem is widely known, but it is as if the EC is the only one that does not know,” he said. He added that in the past authorities had only caught minor cases—such as holding feasts or merit-making events—leading to yellow or red cards, while the larger problem of direct cash vote-buying remained quiet.

He urged the EC to work proactively and, where there are reasonable grounds to believe fraud has occurred, to be willing to issue a red card immediately rather than waiting until it is “deaf and blind”.

Rak Chart reaffirmed its stance that it has no money to hand out. It said it has fewer campaign billboards because it has limited funds, but would fight on ideology. The party also called on the public and the EC to help eradicate vote-buying networks so the country does not remain trapped in what it described as a cycle of “dirty capital”.