Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s Bhumjaithai Party secured a decisive victory in the general election on Sunday, February 8, 2026, marking the first win this century for a party aligned with the country’s royalist establishment.

This outcome signifies a clear defeat for the emerging progressive movement and suggests the potential for an end to prolonged political instability.

Key Points

• Anutin Charnvirakul’s Bhumjaithai Party won about 192 seats in Thailand’s 500-seat parliament, the first time this century that a party aligned with the royalist establishment has secured such a decisive victory.
• The election was a snap poll called in December 2025, timed during a border conflict with Cambodia. Analysts believe Anutin leveraged surging nationalism to consolidate conservative support.
• Thailand’s voters simultaneously backed a referendum to replace the 2017 military-backed constitution, with nearly a two-to-one margin. If completed, this would mark Thailand’s 21st constitution since 1932.

With nearly 95% of polling stations reporting, preliminary results show Bhumjaithai winning about 192 seats in the 500-seat parliament, significantly outpacing the progressive People’s Party (117 seats) and the once-dominant Pheu Thai party (74 seats). Anutin swiftly declared a clear mandate, expressing gratitude to the Thai people and announcing readiness to form the next government focusing on economic stability.

Anutin’s Strategic Consolidation of Power

Anutin strategically initiated this snap election in mid-December amidst a border conflict with Cambodia, a calculated move by the conservative leader to capitalize on surging nationalism . Having assumed power after the populist Pheu Thai premier was ousted, Anutin dissolved parliament citing governmental dysfunction, a gamble that evidently paid off. Analysts attribute his success to a strong embrace of nationalism and Bhumjaithai’s effective strategy of attracting politicians from rival parties in rural areas .

This unprecedented victory is seen as forging a “marriage of convenience” among technocrats, conservative elites, and traditional politicians, promising a government with sufficient effective power to govern and pursue pledges like a consumer subsidy program and revisiting maritime claims with Cambodia.

Opposition’s Rejection and Constitutional Referendum

In the wake of the results, People’s Party leader Natthaphong Rueangpanyawut conceded defeat, explicitly stating his party would not join a Bhumjaithai-led government , choosing instead to operate as the opposition. Despite leading most opinion polls with a platform of structural change, the progressive party’s earlier support for Anutin as prime minister was deemed a significant miscalculation by analysts, undermining its ideological purity.

Concurrently, Thai voters overwhelmingly backed a referendum to replace the 2017 military-backed constitution by nearly a two-to-one margin. This public endorsement paves the way for the new government to initiate an amendment process, potentially leading to Thailand’s 21st constitution and further democratic reforms. 

Prime Minister Anutin’s new government is expected to prioritize several specific policies and initiatives beyond economic stability, based on his stated pledges and the outcomes of recent events. These include:

• A consumer subsidy program: The new government, formed through a “marriage of convenience” among technocrats, conservative elites, and traditional politicians, is promised to have sufficient effective power to pursue pledges such as this program.
• Revisiting maritime claims with Cambodia: This is another specific pledge the new government is expected to pursue, leveraging its consolidated power.
• Initiating an amendment process for the 2017 military-backed constitution: Following an overwhelming public endorsement in a referendum to replace the current constitution, the new government is expected to pave the way for this amendment process. This initiative could potentially lead to Thailand’s 21st constitution and further democratic reforms.

Anutin’s government has pledged to pursue a consumer subsidy program and to revisit maritime claims with Cambodia, signaling both domestic economic priorities and assertive foreign policy.

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Tesco is pressing ahead with a major expansion of its convenience estate after buying a number of former Amazon Fresh stores in London.

Britain’s largest supermarket group plans to open more than 70 new Tesco Express outlets by March 2027, building on the 60 convenience stores it opened last year. The retailer already operates just over 2,000 convenience shops across the UK and Ireland as it seeks to capture a greater share of everyday, top-up spending.

Tesco has acquired five ex-Amazon Fresh locations in London, on Kensington High Street, in Hounslow, Moorgate, Aldgate East and Wembley, following the US technology group’s decision to retreat from its short-lived bricks-and-mortar grocery experiment in the UK. The sites are expected to reopen as Tesco Express stores before the summer.

Further Express openings are planned across a wide geographic spread, from Bickington in Devon and Pontrhydyrun in Torfaen to Strabane in Co Tyrone and Wallyford in East Lothian, underlining the retailer’s ambition to deepen its presence in both urban and regional communities.

Alongside its convenience push, Tesco is continuing to invest in larger-format stores. After opening new superstores in Ripon and Harrogate late last year, it plans to launch two more in Scotland in 2026, in Pitlochry, Perth and Kinross, and the Heartlands development in West Lothian.

Nick Johnson, Tesco’s group property director, said the expansion would allow the grocer to serve “even more people, in even more communities”. Tesco operates more than 7,000 stores worldwide.

The move reflects an intensifying land grab across the grocery sector, with convenience retail, estimated to be worth £48.8 billion in the UK, emerging as one of the few consistent growth areas. Time-poor shoppers are increasingly favouring smaller, more frequent local trips over traditional weekly supermarket shops.

Tesco’s rivals are moving aggressively. Asda is accelerating its convenience rollout and is targeting 300 Express-format stores by the end of this year. Waitrose has committed £1 billion to open around 100 convenience outlets over the next five years.

Morrisons plans to add a further 250 Morrisons Daily stores this year, focusing on the south of England and the Midlands, while Sainsbury’s continues to open around 20 to 25 Local stores annually under its “next level” strategy.

The rapid expansion by supermarket giants is putting increasing pressure on independent retailers. Convenience store owners warn that the scale, buying power and promotional strength of supermarket-owned chains are driving up rents and intensifying competition, accelerating the decline of traditional corner shops on Britain’s high streets.

Amy Ingham

Amy is a newly qualified journalist specialising in business journalism at Business Matters with responsibility for news content for what is now the UK’s largest print and online source of current business news.

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Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.