Profile of Theng Natthapong Rueangpanyawut, leader of the Prachachon Party and the party's number 1 prime ministerial candidate for a second term, leading the Orange Party into the 2026 election.
On 16 December 2025, the prime ministerial candidates of the Prachachon Party were confirmed, including Natthapong Rueangpanyawut as party leader, Sirikanya Tansakul as deputy leader for policy, and Weerayut Kanchuchat as deputy leader for political strategy and policy advisor.
. Natthapong Rueangpanyawut, nicknamed Theng. Born on 18 May 1987, aged 38 (as of 2025), he is the fourth son of Suchart Rueangpanyawut, CEO of Chananthon Development Group Co., Ltd. (a real estate development business) and chairman of Rueangpanya Housing Co., Ltd.
Natthapong completed secondary education at Tawitaphisek School. He earned a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from the Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University. He alsoserved as an executive at absolute.co.th, a cloud solution provider, before entering politics.
Natthapong was elected as MP for Bangkok's 28th constituency under the former Future Forward Party in the 2019 general election. In the 2023 election, he ran as a party-list MP candidate for the former Move Forward Party and was elected as a party-list MP until the Constitutional Court dissolved Move Forward and banned its executive committee for 10 years.
Natthapong maintains a good relationship with Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, chairman of the Progressive Movement and former Future Forward Party leader, continuing to meet and consult regularly with the Prachachon Party. Following the dissolution of Move Forward on 7 August 2024, the Prachachon Party was established on 9 August 2024 as the new Orange camp.
Since the Prachachon Party has the most MPs among parties without ministers or parliamentary speakers or deputies, after the Thai Cabinet's policy statement completion of the 64th Cabinet, Natthapong became the de facto leader of the opposition in the House of Representatives. He was officially appointed by royal decree on 25 September, published in the Royal Gazette on 1 October, and received the royal appointment the same day. This made Natthapong the youngest opposition leader in the Thai House of Representatives, assuming office at 37 years, 4 months, and 7 days, breaking the previous record held by Abhisit Vejjajiva, former Democrat Party leader, who first became opposition leader at 40 years, 8 months, and 20 days.
