Abhisit spoke after roughly seeing the 2026 election results, thanking all voters who supported the Democrat Party. He revealed no approach to join the government yet but expressed readiness to serve as opposition. He praised the People's Party as very strong in Bangkok.
At 20:48 on 8 Feb 2026 GMT+7. Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of the Democrat Party and prime ministerial candidate, gave a statement after following election results for nearly four hours since polls closed. On behalf of the Democrat Party, I thank the public who voted today, especially those who supported the party. Although vote counting and result compilation are not complete, we have a rough picture of our seats and votes. Within the party, we have discussed that the results align with our expectations, particularly that our party list votes have increased several times over.
Abhisit added that in areas like nearly every southern province and even Sukhothai, the party list ranked first. He thanked everyone for their support. Regarding constituency seats, while clarity is not complete, we believe we have gained more than before and hope to gain additional seats as more areas finalize their counts.
Based on media estimates, our seats are about 20 plus or minus. This means we are ready to serve in the House of Representatives. Importantly, our candidates, especially in Bangkok, have gathered here, all motivated and ready to work with the party. We believe what we have done in the past 3-4 months is just the beginning to persuade the public to agree with the Democrat Party's political approach. Certainly, in parliamentary politics, our key message to the public is to fight for an honest country. Our role in parliament must be vigorous to assure people that there are representatives watching and voicing on their behalf to restore the nation to integrity.
On the election results and forming a coalition government, Abhisit said that due to high uncertainty and unclear government formation, he cannot say much yet. As he told the public before, conditions must be met as previously stated, and he confirmed this. We said that actions against those involved or obstructing efforts to combat gray capital and corruption must be uncompromising. He emphasized that no party has contacted them yet, but the Democrat Party is ready to serve as the opposition. There is no problem. With our current votes, we can serve as the eyes and ears for the public, ensuring everything is on the right path.
"I have said I am ready to be opposition. When asked if anyone invited me, I said I don’t want to be impolite. We believe with our current votes, we can perform well as opposition and are ready to do so," he said.
The Democrat Party leader continued that they will form a government only if it benefits them to join, meaning with this number of votes, policy implementation would be difficult. But if conditions can be created as promised to the public, that is another matter. Meanwhile, their opposition role will follow the principles they committed to the public without issue.
Regarding election irregularities, Abhisit said it depends on the clarity and extent of such issues, which agencies must investigate. So far, the Democrat Party has not received reports from their members about irregularities affecting their ability to act.
Asked if it was surprising not to win seats in Bangkok, Abhisit revealed he had said from the start it was not easy to win seats in Bangkok. He admitted the People's Party’s vote share remains very strong, nearly matching or possibly exceeding the last election. ."
