The Democrat Party suspends coalition talks as party leader Abhisit orders a legal team to investigate the election, highlighting concerns over ballot discrepancies and QR codes amid public skepticism, fearing it could undermine the credibility of Thailand's political system.
On 18 Feb 2026 GMT+7 at the Democrat Party headquarters, Secretary-General Chaiwut Bannawat stated the party's position on government formation: the party prioritizes scrutinizing the Election Commission's process above all else, rather than joining a coalition with the Bhumjaithai Party, due to widespread public doubts about the transparency of the recent election.
Chaiwut noted several issues needing clarification, including ballot discrepancies in multiple areas and concerns about "barcode and QR code" features on both ballots that may raise legal challenges. Recently, party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva signed off on appointing a special election investigation team, assigning legal advisor Nipit Indrasombat to lead the official evidence gathering and situation assessment.
"Joining a government coalition is secondary, but constitutional correctness must come first. If the election results lack credibility, it will damage the long-term reputation of Thai politics," Chaiwut said, adding that the party will refrain from any political deals until it is confident the election process was truly clean and fair.