The Bangkok Election Commission clarified the issue of the People’s Party changing its candidate for MP in Constituency 33, stating it is lawful and the new candidate retains the original number, with a new registration fee of 10,000 baht paid anew.
On 30 Dec 2025 GMT+7, at Gymnasium 2 of the Bangkok Youth Center (Thai-Japanese), Lieutenant Third Rank Sampan Saengkamlerd, Director of the Bangkok Election Commission Office, gave an interview regarding the People’s Party’s replacement of its candidate for the Bangkok MP election in Constituency 33, Bangkok Noi-Bang Phlat, after the original candidate became a suspect in a narcotics money laundering case.
Lieutenant Third Rank Sampan explained that Section 50 of the Organic Act on the Election of Members of the House of Representatives clearly sets criteria for candidate registration, stating that political parties may withdraw or replace candidates during the registration period in three cases: death of the candidate, disqualification, or if the candidate has prohibited characteristics under the law.
In this case, investigation found that the original candidate resigned from party membership, thus no longer affiliated with that political party. This qualifies as “disqualification” under Section 41 (3) of the Organic Act, allowing the party to lawfully withdraw and replace the candidate.
Lieutenant Third Rank Sampan added that although the party had already conducted a primary vote and selected a candidate, withdrawing and replacing the candidate within the legally permitted timeframe complies with regulations. The new candidate retains the original candidate number but must pay a new registration fee of 10,000 baht.
The Director of the Bangkok Election Commission Office also stated that these rules have been in effect since 2017 and have been continuously applied in 2019, 2023, and 2025. They are not limited to Bangkok. Recently, similar withdrawals occurred in Surin province, though without new candidate replacements. All follow Election Commission regulations on MP elections, Article 93.
Regarding concerns that changing candidates might be perceived as political pressure or an unfair advantage to competitors, Lieutenant Third Rank Sampan said this is a political process matter for parties to discuss and resolve internally. The Election Commission has no authority to intervene in political issues; its role is solely to enforce election laws in accordance with the Organic Act and established regulations.