People’s Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut became visibly emotional as he responded to his party’s loss in Sunday’s election, rejecting suggestions that he should resign and reaffirming his intention to remain at the helm.
Speaking on the online programme Kammakorn Khao Khui Nok Jor on Tuesday, Mr Natthaphong said the outcome had affected him deeply, with the defeat of several sitting constituency MPs weighing most heavily on his mind.
He said he had personally contacted each defeated candidate to express his regret, acknowledging a deep sense of responsibility in his role as party leader.
“It is not the time for a party leader to come out and announce their resignation or create uncertainty within the party,” he said.
“My duty now is to ensure that the party moves forward with the greatest possible stability. In the future, if someone is more ready and more capable than me, I would have no objection at all.”
Mr Natthaphong said the People’s Party had clearly communicated its policy platform, including proposals to dismantle quota-based politics and curb the influence of big capital, but conceded that its campaign strategy had been outmatched by those of rival parties.
Unofficial results showed the People’s Party’s seat count falling to 118 from 151 in the 2023 election. Bhumjaithai emerged as the largest party with 193 seats, up from 71 in the previous poll.
While the People’s Party remained the leading force in the party-list vote, its total fell to 9.8 million votes from 14.5 million in 2023.
Mr Natthaphong said the party would now undertake a comprehensive review of its electoral strategy, with a particular focus on ground operations and constituency-level engagement.
He also acknowledged that nationalist sentiment had influenced the outcome, saying the party needed to strengthen its grassroots presence. “We have to build networks and develop tactics to win constituency seats,” he said.
Meanwhile, People’s Party secretary-general Sarayut Jailak said on Monday that he would step down from his position after the party’s election performance fell short of expectations.
