Thailand’s Bhumjaithai Party Leads 2026 Election, Coalition Talks Begin

Thailand conducted a general election on 8 February 2026 to fill all 500 seats in its House of Representatives. The election outcome required parties to form alliances, as no single party achieved a majority.

With approximately 90% of ballots tallied, unofficial results indicated that the Bhumjaithai Party, led by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, secured around 194 seats. This total left the party short of the 251-seat threshold needed for a majority in the lower house.

The People’s Party was reported to have gained about 115 seats, placing it second in the election. The Pheu Thai Party followed with an estimated 77 seats, according to the same vote count. These results reflected the distribution of parliamentary power among the leading parties.

Since no party reached the required majority, the Bhumjaithai Party needed to seek coalition partners to form a government. On the day after the election, Anutin Charnvirakul prepared to initiate coalition discussions with other parties.

What the numbers show

• The House of Representatives contains 500 seats
• Bhumjaithai Party won about 194 seats with 90% of votes counted
• The majority threshold in the lower house is 251 seats
• The People’s Party received around 115 seats
• Pheu Thai Party secured approximately 77 seats

The general election was held alongside a referendum concerning the possible amendment of the 2017 military-drafted constitution. This concurrent vote addressed whether to begin a process to change the existing constitutional framework.

Official coalition negotiations were set in motion following the initial results, as the leading party did not achieve an outright majority. The process of forming a new government depended on these discussions among parties.

The election and referendum together marked a key event in Thailand’s political calendar, determining both the composition of the legislature and the potential for constitutional change. The final composition of the government awaited the conclusion of coalition talks.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.