The Tamesis
February 9, 2026
Bangkok – Thai political rock star Rukchanok “Ice” Srinork performed on stage at the Bangkok Indoor Stadium on Friday night. A recent poll ranked the 33-year-old first-time MP as the country’s most popular politician. Born in a Bangkok slum, Rukcharok was abandoned by his parents and grew up in a working-class family. She has become the face of a generation rebelling against Thailand’s old guard.
The atmosphere was electrifying as the PPP politician addressed the orange-clad crowd.
Every punchy line is met with roars from supporters who see in her the antithesis of the elegant, dynastic elite that has long ruled Thailand.
This is the last day of gatherings for political parties before Thailand’s general election today. I attended two of three large party rallies on Friday.
Three parties are vying for the largest share of the 500 seats up for grabs, including 400 constituency seats and 100 party-list seats.
In Thailand’s usual color-coordinated election campaign, dark blue represents the Bhumjaithai Party, red represents the Pheu Thai Party and orange represents the People’s Party.
Before long, People’s Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, a 38-year-old software entrepreneur, spoke after Ice stepped down. I wanted to take part in the final rally in Pheu Thai which is 7.5km away. If Rukhchanok is the rock star, then Pheu Thai prime ministerial candidate Yochanan Wangsavat is the nerdy star. She was a product of the ghetto, he was from the ultimate political dynasty.
The 46-year-old associate professor holds a PhD in electrical engineering, specializing in brain-computer interfaces, and is the nephew of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Yingluck Shinawatra (Thaksin’s sister). Yochanan’s cousin is former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, and she is Thaksin’s daughter. Yochanan’s father Somchai is also a former prime minister, and his mother Yaowapa Wangsawa is the sister of Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra.
Unlike Ice, a natural orator, Yochanan’s performance on the podium was bland. But this did not dampen the mood of the thousands of people gathered. Nerds also seem to be politically sexy.
The red crowd was excited just to see a symbol of Shinawatra’s legacy on stage. After all, Pheu Thai is primarily a party supported by Shinawatra. Although Thaksin remains jailed for abuse of power, supporters remember his tenure as prime minister from 2001 to 2006 as a prosperous period.
The arena is full of red power. While the Orange rally had an organic feel, Pheu Thai’s event was sleek and sophisticated, with the distinct aura of a real-money party that contrasted sharply with the grassroots, crowd-funded energy of the People’s Party.
I was a political tourist in Thailand because I wanted to observe the election on the ground. There is a difference between following candidates through social media and online news portals while sitting in an armchair at home in Subang Jaya, Selangor, and seeing them in person, talking to Thai people and hearing whispered political insider stories.
Unfortunately, I did not have time to attend the final rally of the Bhumjaithai Party. On social media, it looks like a sea of blue. It would be nice if I could feel this atmosphere. The Deep Blue party is led by Anutin Charnvirakul, who has been prime minister for the past five months.
The 59-year-old volunteer pilot and construction tycoon-turned-politician is a shrewd dealmaker who rose to become prime minister in September 2025 as a middle-of-the-road candidate after a court ordered the ouster of his predecessor.
(Paetongtarn Shinawatra was fired by the Constitutional Court for ethics violations after a phone call with Cambodian leader Hun Sen was leaked.)
For those who believe a “deep state” is calling the shots and will decide the next leader regardless of the number of seats, Anutin is widely expected to remain prime minister even if his party does not win the most seats. Many cynical political analysts say politics have not changed since the 2006 coup.
On the evening of September 19, I received a call about the coup and went to the building nation I was the paper’s Asia News Network editor starThai journalists discovered that the military was guarding the premises.
Thaksin was deposed in a military coup while out of the country that day. Since then, Thailand has seen a relentless cycle of judicial and military coups that have continued to dismantle Shinawatra’s legacy: In 2008, Somchai was ousted by a court ruling and his party was dissolved a few months after taking office; in 2014, Yingluck was ousted by the Constitutional Court for “abuse of power” and weeks later the military staged another full-scale coup; and most recently, in 2025, Paetongtarn was disqualified by a court for “lack of integrity” in private conversations with Hun Sen.
Today, analysts are understandably cynical because they’ve seen this playbook before. In 2023, despite Kadima winning 151 seats out of 500, “hands behind the scenes” prevented it from taking power. The People’s Party is the latest incarnation of a movement that has been banned twice.
Some of you may feel a sense of déjà vu over the next few days. No party is expected to win an outright majority of 251 seats. But one Thai politician told me: “Don’t underestimate the Orange Party yet,” referring to the People’s Party. Especially if they win around 180 seats.
Rumor has it they may kowtow to the agency just to get their foot in the door. He also noted that those in power are increasingly distrustful of the current Anutin, viewing him as an overly smooth dealmaker.
Also, don’t underestimate the possibility of Shinawatra becoming prime minister again. It all depends on the deal and how many seats Pheu Thai wins.
Finally, Thai citizens may vote today, but many in the know believe it is those behind the scenes who will decide the country’s future.
