Teerachai acknowledges being a prime ministerial candidate for the Palang Pracharath Party, with two others awaiting official announcement. He says the party has long been ready for elections and promotes the "variable money" policy from M.R. Kukrit's era.
On 18 Dec 2025 GMT+7, Teerachai Phuvanatnaranubala, deputy leader of the Palang Pracharath Party, confirmed in an interview that he is one of the party’s prime ministerial candidates. He noted that the others will be announced officially later. Regarding the ranking of candidates, he said it is unimportant, as all candidates are equally significant. A prime ministerial candidate represents the party’s vision and hope to the public, showing whether their governance approach will truly help people live well. The official announcement date remains unclear.
The party has long prepared for this election and has continuously worked to be ready, anticipating an earlier dissolution of parliament than expected. They have developed policies to present to the public that they believe are unique, especially regarding the economy, which they are confident will offer considerable hope to the people.
Considering the scheduled election date of 8 Feb 2026 GMT+7, there is only about a month and a half left. During this time, progress is expected on resolving issues along the Thai-Cambodian border, which should help ease public concerns on this matter.
However, a major looming problem causing public worry is the economic livelihood issue. Teerachai is confident that global economic growth will be lower than expected next year. Changes in monetary policy and Japan’s interest rate hikes, contrasting with the U.S., risk causing a market bubble burst in Western financial markets. If this occurs, effects will spread worldwide. In Thailand, over the past decade, governments have increased public debt to provide daily allowances to citizens, similar to a generous parent charging credit cards to support children’s luxurious living without improving their competitiveness, which hampers the country’s ability to compete internationally—a serious problem.
Currently, public debt is at a high level. Continuing to borrow and distribute funds risks harm. For example, schemes like 'Half-Half' may benefit vulnerable groups, forming a welfare state. However, giving debt-funded money to those who can support themselves only increases debt without boosting competitiveness. The party has policies to address this and build public confidence. They propose a "variable money" policy to empower villages for self-development, echoing M.R. Kukrit Pramoj’s government era, with other flagship policies forthcoming.
Asked if the party can finalize policies within the roughly one and a half months before the election, Teerachai said the policies are ready. All have been approved by party leader Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan and the executive committee. Regarding the Election Commission’s review of party policies, he said there is no problem, as all policies have been balanced carefully.
When asked if he is ready to collaborate with all parties, Teerachai replied affirmatively, saying he is open to working with any party that accepts their policies.