Former Thai leader Abhisit Vejjajiva was introduced as one of the three prime ministerial candidates of Thailand’s Democrat Party on Dec 26, 2026. -- PHOTO: DEMOCRATPARTYTH/FACEBOOK
BANGKOK (The Nation Thailand/ANN): Thailand’s Democrat Party released a video on its official Facebook page on Friday (Dec 26), introducing its three prime ministerial candidates. The three candidates are conservative former premier Abhisit Vejjajiva, party leader; Korn Chatikavanij, deputy leader; and Karndee Leopairote, also a deputy leader.
In the video, the party asks: “How can Thailand escape poverty?” It says the Democrat Party is putting forward “leaders who know how” to deliver what it calls a major mission: helping Thailand escape poverty.
The video highlights Abhisit, who led Thailand from 2008 to 2011 during the global financial crisis, as honest, transparent and fiscally disciplined.
Abhisit says Thailand can only escape poverty by starting with clean politics and building transparency across all systems — steps he argues are necessary to eliminate the “grey” problems that Thais have had to endure.
It then introduces Korn as an economic leader who can help Thailand escape poverty, noting that he won the world finance minister award at the age of 44.
Korn says escaping poverty can happen in real life, but requires urgent work to restructure the economy, ensure fair competition and connect Thailand to the world in a modern way — so farmers, SMEs and exporters can all grow.
The video also presents Karndee as a technology leader for the future, citing more than 20 years of experience and expertise in the digital economy.
Karndee says Thailand’s future should be built through the digital economy, with long-term planning for people and the country to ensure sustainable poverty reduction. She adds that the team shares a common DNA as Democrats, and says the party can deliver because “we know how”.
Abhisit says Democrats’ PM candidates represent the future Thais want to see
Earlier, Abhisit, Korn and Karndee joined Sakoltee Phattiyakul, a deputy leader overseeing Bangkok, and Ongart Klampaiboon, an adviser to the party’s election campaign director, in leading the Democrat Party’s 33 Bangkok constituency candidates to pay respects at Bangkok’s City Pillar Shrine to rally the “Bangkok Fah Mai” group and boost morale ahead of candidate registration and the election.
After the visit, Abhisit told reporters the party would announce its other two prime ministerial candidates via social media at 10am, adding that the media and the public likely already knew who they were—and that those still guessing would probably be able to work it out.
Asked what made Korn and Karndee stand out, Abhisit said the Democrat Party’s three prime ministerial candidates were not separate figures brought together at random.
“They share the same origins in terms of ideas and political vision,” he said, adding that they had worked together on various occasions and were confident they shared a common view of the country’s future—one he believed many Thais wanted to see.
He said their work would be cohesive because they had spoken many times and developed campaign policies together. Without drawing comparisons with other parties, he said the public could be confident because the trio shared the same principles and aligned visions. -- THE NATION THAILAND/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
