Prime ministerial candidates clearly state which types of political parties they will not ally with, while Abhisit explicitly declares no cooperation with the Kla Tham Party.
On 23 Dec 2025 GMT+7, Thairath TV hosted the first debate ahead of the 2026 general election, moderated by Kai Pongsakorn Satya Prasert. The eight prime ministerial candidates from political parties participating were: Natthapong Ruangpanyawut, leader of the Prachachon Party and PM candidate; Yotchanan Wongsawat, PM candidate for Pheu Thai Party; Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of the Democrat Party and PM candidate; Teerachai Phuwanatnarunban, deputy leader and PM candidate of Palang Pracharath Party; Peeraphan Salirathvipak, leader of Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party and PM candidate; Suchatveera Suwanasawat, leader of Thai Kao Mai Party and PM candidate; Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, leader of Thai Sang Thai Party and PM candidate; and General Rangsi Kitiyanat, leader of the Economic Party and PM candidate. Meanwhile, two other parties, Kla Tham and Bhumjaithai, did not send PM candidates to participate in the debate.
Moderator Kai Pongsakorn Satya Prasert asked about each party's conditions for forming alliances and which types of political parties they would refuse to cooperate with.
Natthapong Ruangpanyawut, leader of the Prachachon Party and PM candidate,stated he has announced several times before that if any politician or ministerial nominee is involved in gray-area issues, they cannot accept forming a government with such taint. He emphasized that a crucial point in the upcoming election is the threat of 'gray money' infiltrating the political system. Since this election will be without Senate votes, the people's voice will be most significant in preventing politics from being entangled with gray money and corruption. He refrained from naming parties to avoid electoral law violations and preferred to let the public decide.
Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of the Democrat Party and PM candidate,said that this election’s condition is to transform the country toward integrity. The Democrat Party’s approach to forming a government is positive: ensuring the ability to push forward their policies; and negative: rejecting any policies that contradict their stance or cause division. He firmly stated, "We will not cooperate with the Kla Tham Party, absolutely not."
Teerachai Phuwanatnarunban, deputy leader and PM candidate of Palang Pracharath Party,explained that forming a government depends first on the compatibility of policies and the ability to work together. However, if any party has gray-area issues, the public will question such alliances. He added that it is time for all parties and media to raise awareness for the public to observe, but he reserved naming specific parties for now.
Yotchanan Wongsawat, PM candidate for Pheu Thai Party,said they cannot accept corrupt individuals. The most important thing is that parties must deliver policies to the people. Alliances must be able to implement Pheu Thai’s policies effectively to benefit the citizens.
Peeraphan Salirathvipak, leader of Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party and PM candidate,said that forming a coalition requires the acceptance of their party’s core policies. The most urgent issues include decisively resolving the Thailand-Cambodia disputes so they no longer threaten Thailand or its people. They must seriously tackle corruption by punishing corrupt individuals to the extent of capital punishment; families must return stolen money; scammers require special laws not previously enacted to manage them; and finally, there must be no policies undermining the nation’s key institutions.
General Rangsi Kitiyanat, leader of the Economic Party and PM candidate,stated they reject all parties associated with gray areas. He noted that everyone knows who these parties are, including the public, but naming them risks legal action.
Suchatveera Suwanasawat, leader of Thai Kao Mai Party and PM candidate,said Thailand is in a serious crisis. Their party is committed to working professionally and wants to collaborate only with parties genuinely dedicated to serving the people based on real academic principles. Importantly, partner parties must not benefit any group, whether scammers, gray, black, or others. If evidence emerges linking a party to scammers, they will immediately withdraw. Otherwise, Thailand will regress as before.
Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, leader of Thai Sang Thai Party and PM candidate, said that many have spoken about this, but she added that the country is stuck due to two main issues: 1. Corruption; 2. Politicians’ insincerity, causing people to be repeatedly deceived. Therefore, parties they will not ally with are those who do not keep their promises or election commitments. While they want to improve the economy, they reject parties that rely on vote-buying or giveaways. The country’s structural problems must be properly addressed.