"Anutin" emphasizes adherence to the rules, giving the party with the most votes the right to form a government first

Today (3 Feb) at Government House, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul, in his capacity as leader of the Bhumjaithai Party and prime ministerial candidate, commented on the party's campaign slogan of winning 220 parliamentary seats. He said, "Whenever I say that, I never give strange speeches like that. In Suphan Buri, it's always 'Father is a dog, Mother is a dog. 'I never mention numbers in my speeches."

When asked if there was an estimate of the number of seats won, Mr. Anutin said, "We have to estimate and aim for the best possible outcome because we monitor the campaigns of our candidates in every constituency nationwide."

Regarding whether any parties have approached him about joining the government, Mr. Anutin said, "Let's wait until Sunday." As for the statement about being the number one party in the coalition... We are trying to uphold the rules of the parliamentary system as much as possible. Regardless of whether there's a majority or a minority, the government should have more than half of the seats in parliament. If a party wants to lead the government, it should be the party with the most seats. This straightforward approach has always been followed, regardless of which government is in power.

Regarding whether we can see the formation of government coalitions by February 8th, 2026, Mr. Anutin said that we have to wait for the number of MPs from each party to stabilize. It should take until around 9 PM to see a clearer picture.

As for whether the party that comes first should form the government first, Mr. Anutin said that it has always been that way. If the number one party can't form a coalition, it becomes the second-ranked party. If the second-ranked party can't, it becomes the third-ranked party. It's always been that way. No one has ever tried to take the first place. There are rules and etiquette involved.

When asked if the People's Party would not compete to form a government if it came in first, Mr. Anutin said that the number one party can always form a coalition first, as it did in 2019 and 2023. "And the party that leads the government formation is always the party with the most MPs.

In 2019, the Palang Pracharath Party was the core. In 2023, the Pheu Thai Party will be the core. In 2026, the party... (Mr. Anutin nodded.) will have a government. I have clearly set the agenda for 4 months. Therefore, it will be a minority government. But within my own government coalition, the Bhumjaithai Party has the most members. So we are within the rules. There is nothing different from other government formations at all," Mr. Anutin said.

Regarding the concern that if the People's Party comes first, other parties will abandon it, Mr. Anutin said, "If they can form a government, who will abandon them? Suppose they come first and can gather more than half the votes; the government formation ends there."

As for how much time the leading party should have to compete to form a government, Mr. Anutin said, "In the past, we've always seen time given for government formation. Last time, the Move Forward Party couldn't form a government, but they showed great spirit by announcing that they couldn't and letting the Pheu Thai Party continue."

Regarding whether the party that comes in first must declare that it cannot form a government, Mr. Anutin smiled before saying, "I've never been the number one party before, and I'm not the party that dictates or plays the game."

Furthermore, if the People's Party comes in first, will they lose their prime ministerial candidate? Mr. Anutin replied, "Did they call us?"

When asked if they were to invite him, Mr. Anutin said, "If they invited us, we would have to talk. We don't know who will come in first or second, or what the conditions are, or whether each party accepts our policies. It's not like we form a government and then they accept it and then remove it a year later."

"They are setting a good example because the People's Party will have an MOA or MOU. Sometimes, don't see it as complicated, because it's good to have a guideline to follow. Because sometimes, Gentleman's Agreements can be changed when the time comes, leading to political instability," Mr. Anutin said.

Regarding the question of whether an MOA would be required if the People's Party requested a vote, Mr. Anutin said, "Let's wait and see. Don't say anything before the election results are out. We don't want to accidentally say anything that leads the party in." "It's like I'm not listening to the people," he said, being very careful about that. "Reporters shouldn't ask too often, or I might slip up."

When asked if everything would be easy and quick if the Bhumjaithai Party came in first, Mr. Anutin didn't answer but smiled. Reporters then asked if he already had a party in mind to form a coalition with. Mr. Anutin said, "Let me go change my shirt first."

Then, while walking to the Government House, reporters continued to ask if he would retaliate against the People's Party like he did with the Bhumjaithai Party by signing a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). Mr. Anutin said, "That's a different matter. Our MOA clearly stated it was only for four months. But after more than two months, they added conditions outside the MOA, and we couldn't comply. They told us to dissolve parliament. I dissolved parliament because someone told me to, as we were a minority."

Regarding the possibility of the red and blue parties joining hands to form a government, Mr. Anutin said, "We have to wait for the election results. There's still time. A government doesn't need to be formed on the night of February 8th or in the first week. Last time it was two months."

Furthermore, when asked about his promises to the Kla Tham Party and the fact that some political parties have announced they won't form a coalition, Mr. Anutin reiterated, "Wait until the election is over." Every candidate and every party should use this time to manage their own affairs and gain the public's trust as much as possible.

When asked if he was excited about the election in four days, Mr. Anutin said he was more alert than excited because he's been through four elections as a party leader in his life. He had seen politics as a child, following his father, and was able to anticipate and manage feelings and expectations to a certain extent. When asked if he was excited or not, he replied, "Of course I am. As ordinary people, we're competing, so I'm hoping the party I'm responsible for will be as successful as possible."

Furthermore, when asked if he had forgotten about past events with the Pheu Thai Party, Mr. Anutin said that his nature was to easily forget good deeds done to him and easily forget bad deeds done to him. He explained that he wanted to greet people with a smile and a respectful bow and didn't want to harbor any resentment.

Regarding the political saying that there are no true friends and no permanent enemies, and whether this applies to the Prime Minister, Mr. Anutin said that permanent enemies already exist, but he doesn't know whether to express them or not, and there's no benefit in pursuing them. He added that since becoming Prime Minister 4-5 months ago, he has had power, and while he could seek revenge or settle scores, it would be pointless and would only bring suffering.

"We must be careful about their retaliation. Everyone has equal hands and feet. Therefore, the best thing to do is think only positively. Everyone has good qualities towards each other. We don't forget the bad things, but we shouldn't bring them up as issues," Mr. Anutin concluded.

When asked if he could read the public's minds regarding whether he had passed his probationary period, Mr. Anutin said that most people applauded and cheered, leaving his voice hoarse.

And when asked if the Pheu Thai Party had tried to reconcile with him, Mr. Anutin exclaimed, "Why would we need to beg?"

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Source of material: official media /online news