Kla Tham Party wins by-election in Nakhon Si Thammarat

The Kla Tham party candidate, Kongkiat Katesombat, has won yesterday’s by-election in Constituency 8 of Nakhon Si Thammarat province, with 38,680 votes against 28,417 for the runner-up, Sawai Loengseenil of the Bhumjaithai party.

At 8.50pm Sunday, the provincial public relations office of Nakhon Si Thammarat announced the unofficial vote count:

1. Kongkiat Katesombat (Kla Tham) - 38,680

2. Sawai Loengseenil (Bhumjaithai) - 28,417

3. Natthakit Yooduang (Prachachon) - 6,811

4. Chinnavorn Boonyakiat (Democrat) - 4,190

5. Kawee Kraithong (Prom) - 238

6. Phisanu Rosmalee (New Alternative) - 194

Moreover, 81,758 out of the 117,117 eligible voters cast ballots yesterday.

Election Commission Chairman Itthiporn Boonpracong, who visited 35 polling units, correctly predicted that voter turnout in Constituency 8 would be lower than for the last election, due to heavy rain and the approaching municipal elections.

He said that allegations of vote buying had emerged in Chawang and Phipun districts and complaints are expected to be filed with the local Election Commission office soon.

Thammanat Prompao, advisor to the Kla Tham Party, told the media last night that the election win in Nakhon Si Thammarat constitutes a major achievement for the party, by establishing a political foothold in the southern region.

He also said that he had told his candidate, Kongkiat, that allegations of vote buying are normal in an election, but that they only matter when a candidate is caught. He claimed that he had faced similar allegations before, adding that, “The most important thing is that candidates must prove themselves,” and that he had held three rallies in the province and, at the last of which almost 30,000 people attended.

The by-election was called after Bhumjaithai MP Mukdawan Loengseenil had been disqualified by the Election Commission for electoral fraud. Her husband, Sawai, ran under the party’s banner.

Associate Professor Ekkarin Tuansiri, of the Faculty of Political Science at Prince of Songkhla University’s Pattani campus, attributed the Kla Tham party’s victory to Kongkiat’s frequent visits to the constituency and Thammanat’s vigorous electoral campaigning, while the Bhumjaithai party did not field their own candidate, but the husband of a disqualified MP.

He also said that the election result will make the southern region one which is no longer dominated by any party, but open to all in the 2027 general election.

The Democrat Party, which used to dominate the region, will have to work harder if it is to regain lost ground, said Ekkarin, adding that Kla Tham may attract more defectors from the other parties.