EC summons five parties to clarify spending-heavy campaign pledges
Thailand’s Election Commission says 51 of 60 parties contesting the Feb 8 election have policies requiring cost disclosure, and has asked five parties for more details on key pledges.
Sawang Boonmee, secretary-general of the Election Commission (EC), said that for the February 8 general election, 60 political parties have fielded candidates. Of these, 51 parties have campaign policies involving expenditure that must be reported to the EC, while nine parties have no spending-related policies that require notification.
He said the committee tasked with reviewing campaign policies that require public spending on Thursday considered a first batch of 23 parties’ policies, and resolved to summon five parties to provide clarifications and submit additional documents. They are:
People’s Party (PPLE)
The party must provide further details on:
- Raising the elderly allowance
- Comprehensive housing policy
- Farmers’ debt solutions
- A mega-project programme to raise quality of life nationwide
- Upgrading SMEs, including giving them an advantage through a co-payment scheme and a receipt lottery
- SME “start-up credit” policy and a fund to boost SME product quality
Thai Citizen Party
To clarify policies on:
- The state welfare card scheme
- 5,000 baht per month for elderly people
- Support for people with disabilities and bedridden patients
Prachathai Party
To clarify a policy providing 3,000 baht per month for elderly people.
Thai Morality Party
To clarify a pension-style welfare policy of 4,000 baht per month for those aged 60 and over whose income is below the specified threshold.
The Nation Thai’s People Volunteer Party
To clarify a policy offering education scholarships for free study from Mathayom 6 to a bachelor’s degree, under a “one village, one graduate” concept.
Sawang said the meeting urged the review process to move quickly and follow the committee’s established approach, as time is running short. He said after Thursday’s meeting, the committee’s work will be submitted to the full EC for consideration on January 30.
He added that the next meeting will review policies from another 28 parties, and aims to submit them to the EC for consideration on February 3-4, so the public can assess the value for money and risks of campaign policies before voting on February 8, 2026.
