Thai Prime Minister Signals Early Elections Amid Border Conflict with Cambodia

Thailand:

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced late Thursday his intention to "return power to the people," a phrase widely recognized in Thailand as signaling an imminent dissolution of parliament and subsequent elections.

"I would like to return the power to the people," Charnvirakul stated in his Facebook post, indicating his plans to call for new elections.

Charnvirakul, who represents the conservative Bhumjaithai party, assumed the role of prime minister in September following his predecessor's removal by court decision over ethics violations.

Earlier this year, he committed to dissolving the lower house—the formal procedure required to initiate elections—and scheduling a national vote by early 2026.

While Charnvirakul was expected to dissolve parliament after Christmas, this apparent acceleration of the timeline comes amid escalating border tensions with Cambodia. The conflict has resulted in at least 20 casualties and displaced approximately 600,000 people, the majority being in Thailand.