Abhisit leads the Democrat Party in unveiling a 90-day plan aimed at eradicating poverty in Thailand, setting a target to measure progress within four years with a goal of at least 5% economic growth. The initiative emphasizes ten urgent priorities, focusing on reforming outdated laws and preparing to eliminate 'gray capital'.
At 09:30 on 16 January 2026 at the Democrat Party headquarters, Abhisit Vejjajiva, party leader, along with candidates Korn Chatikavanij, Kanjana Liao-Pairoj, and Veerapong Prapha, deputy party leader overseeing international economic affairs, held a press conference to announce the 90-day operational plan titled 'How to End Poverty in Thailand'.
Abhisit stated that the Democrat Party affirms that this election means more than just short-term fixes. Over the past decade, Thailand has lost opportunities. The party proposes the 'End Poverty in Thailand' policy with clear targets to measure results within four years, aiming for at least 5% economic growth. Achieving this requires simultaneously adjusting the role of the government and restructuring. The 90-day action plan aims to reach this 5% goal by providing clear direction to investors, businesses, and the public on the economic path. The party will open the way through investment in people and infrastructure, reform overlapping regulations, and proactively engage internationally to create opportunities for Thais. The plan includes reforming and overhauling redundant laws and ensuring care for all groups, especially the vulnerable. Agriculture will be upgraded to processed agriculture products to increase farmers' income and foster new businesses related to agricultural processing.
Promoting Electric Vehicles, Health Industry, and Digital Economy
"In the automotive industry, the focus will be on full-scale electric vehicle production, not just parts, developing connected industries, including higher-tech electronics. The service sector and tourism will be enhanced, promoting eco-tourism and health tourism. The health industry, biosciences, medical devices, and the digital economy will be emphasized to generate revenue from technology, covering finance and fair retail trade to increase income for Thais. The plan also promotes alternative and clean energy, such as solar power, using tools like revising laws, investing in skills, and infrastructure, combined with proactive economic diplomacy and international negotiations."
Korn Pushes Use of 'PromptPay' to Boost Agriculture and Debt Solutions
Korn emphasized the party’s goal to drive 5% economic growth within four years by optimizing state assets to create value without burdening the budget. This includes opening state data for public and private sector business use, such as state land and buildings, and allowing private investment in state utilities like electricity. The party plans to open power transmission systems with neighboring countries—Laos, Malaysia, Singapore—to enable leasing of existing infrastructure. Payment systems like PromptPay, which is highly efficient globally but not widely accessible domestically, will be expanded. Transportation infrastructure will be leveraged to provide affordable internet access to the public.
The party’s strategy is to elevate agriculture into a food industry through income guarantee programs, debt relief via the Farmers’ Rehabilitation and Development Fund, which buys debts with collateral but no debt holidays. There is a budget for farmer rehabilitation to create new opportunities, improve access to capital, affordable fertilizers, and markets. Cooperatives will be reformed to be modern, transparent, and managed like companies, turning farmers from sellers into shareholders. The plan includes accessing new global markets and using profits for research and development to increase product value in the future.
Kanjana Supports Reducing Government Bureaucracy to Help SMEs and Startups
Kanjana added that the foundation for growth toward a digital economy is opening government data to make public services easier and more transparent by reducing redundant procedures. Thailand aims to be a data investment hub but must unlock data integration and promote new knowledge connections to develop future-ready talent. The party will support SMEs and startups’ access to affordable technology services and use intellectual property as loan collateral to expand markets. It also plans to protect freelance workers with fair contracts and improve their access to financial services. Additionally, a creative fund will support turning ideas into products for global markets.
Veerapong Highlights Six Drivers of the New Economic Engine
Veerapong stated that raising GDP from 2% to 5% is achievable by advancing new industries as Thailand’s economic engines: 1. Processed food industry to make Thailand a global food hub, with large industries and SMEs raising sustainability standards and collaboration with farmers; 2. Electric vehicle automotive industry, a Thai strength; 3. Advanced technology and innovation; 4. Tourism industry by enhancing Thailand’s unique attractions, promoting secondary and primary cities as foreign tourist destinations, developing ASEAN health centers, and applying technology for safety standards; 5. Financial sector improvements to prevent scams and money laundering, requiring integrated efforts from the Anti-Money Laundering Office, Bank of Thailand, and police, while increasing small borrower access to loans to raise competition standards; 6. Alternative energy industries encouraging public participation, such as installing solar panels to sell electricity to the government.
Abhisit Highlights Ten Urgent Priorities, Focused on Reforming Outdated Laws
Reporters noted that towards the end, Abhisit summarized the 90-day operational plan as follows:
1. Short-term economic stimulus measures must be appropriate, quickly effective, simple, and straightforward. Meanwhile, 27 policies to assist vulnerable groups require budget allocation. If the Democrat Party forms the government, rights such as doubling disability allowances will be granted immediately but paid retroactively in fiscal year 2027. Public transport fares would be reduced to 5-30 baht by zones, initially implementable on the Purple and Red lines due to existing joint ticket funds.
2. Legislative agenda includes overhauling and reforming framework laws, making government data public within 90 days via Cabinet approval, repealing redundant and unfair contract laws to ensure fair competition, preventing underpriced goods from harming SMEs, amending national savings laws to create provincial savings lotteries, and increasing allowances for newborns.
3. All announced policies will be codified in the fiscal year 2027 budget law to be submitted to Parliament within 90 days.
4. A sound economy depends on a honest society. Tools to combat corruption include the data platform "Sang Rat" (Inspect State) for monitoring government procurement and auctions. Fighting corruption requires full transparency and audit readiness.
5. Public sector reform includes establishing the National Assets Office and resolving overlapping government mechanisms, such as redundant water management systems.
Preparing to Eradicate 'Gray Capital' with 'Sang Rat' Platform to Help Society Fight Corruption
6. To address 'gray capital,' the party plans a 90-day action to remove obstructive personnel in state and justice systems and enhance tools to combat high-level 'gray capital,' including amending asset seizure laws for proven illicit sources, tightening rules on nominees, amending laws related to cash assets linked to money laundering, issuing royal decrees, and using AI to detect suspicious financial flows.
7. In energy, the party will allocate budgets to support solar panel installation and immediately liberalize the sector, reduce electricity costs permanently, renew biomass power plant concessions without state payments, and disclose provincial electricity purchase data to reassure the public.
8. New economic engines must be driven in partnership with the private sector by establishing joint state-private mechanisms to assist SMEs and startups through dedicated funds.
9. Urgently address PM2.5 pollution by banning purchases of crops from burning areas and promoting three laws to improve air quality.
10. For disaster management, the party will elevate the National Disaster Agency to report directly to the Prime Minister to ensure unified and efficient coordination, alongside aid and recovery efforts in Hat Yai through interest-free soft loans.
These ten priorities will be expedited within 90 days, reflecting the Democrat Party government's readiness. A special task force will be established to monitor implementation, drawing from Abhisit's experience as prime minister, where orders and Cabinet resolutions often lacked proper follow-up. This 90-day plan will serve as the economic compass, with dedicated agencies ensuring results.
Vows to Seriously Remove Obstructionists Blocking 'Gray Capital' Investigations, Points to Crane Incidents as Possible Corruption Cases
When asked about the party’s ability to tackle 'gray capital' given previous agencies' failures, Abhisit responded that involved individuals, including those at the SEC, must step aside to restore public confidence that no one is obstructing progress. Thailand has been perceived as slower than other countries in addressing these issues, so such individuals must be removed within 90 days. Regarding crane collapses in Sikhio District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, and Rama II Road, he said these incidents may not be mere accidents; if corruption or misconduct were absent, such events would not occur. Existing mechanisms like the Comptroller General’s Department blacklist contractors causing problems, preventing them from working with the state again. What is needed is independent investigation to learn lessons and prevent future incidents. The planned "Sang Rat" platform will expose recurring players involved in such collapses to enforce stricter measures. Legally, contracts can be canceled, blacklists applied, fines imposed, or criminal prosecutions pursued when warranted. The tools exist; the question is the willingness to use them. Fact-finding and investigations will restore public trust. Besides the cranes, investigations will also cover the Hat Yai floods and the collapse of the State Audit Office building, ensuring serious inquiry from the root causes and disaster management, since issues are often forgotten once incidents pass.