Thailand PM's Bhumjaithai Party takes early lead in three-way election race

Anutin Charnvirakul, Thailand's prime minister, arrives at the Bhumjaithai Party headquarters on election night in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. Early results from Thailand's election are pointing to a convincing win by the conservative Bhumjaithai Party, setting the stage for the first victory this century for a party aligned with the royalist establishment and a clear defeat for the country's emerging progressive movement. -- Photographer: Dario Pignatelli/Bloomberg

BANGKOK (Reuters): Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's Bhumjaithai Party took an early lead in Sunday's general election, though the three-way battle is unlikely to give any single party a clear majority, potentially prolonging the spectre of political instability.

Anutin set the stage for the snap election in mid-December, amid a raging border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, in what analysts said was a move timed by the conservative leader to cash in on surging nationalism.