South Dovani

[Wu Han]

Anong Sereevattanakul secures Democratic Hansan alliance nomination in tight second-ballot victory
20 November 5645

Udon Nakhon – Economist and professor Anong Sereevattanakul has secured the Democratic Hansan nomination for the presidency following a tightly contested three-way primary, winning a narrow second-ballot victory. Anong is the candidate of the liberal Civic Alliance (CA), a smaller party within the National Assembly which has nevertheless seen its support rise sharply in polling since the NERI Files scandal.

At the outset of the primary, most observers expected the Justice Party (JP) candidate, former Udon Nakhon governor Kittisak Phromphat, to cruise to victory, given the party’s dominance in the National Assembly among the opposition coalition parties, and consistently strong polling for the party over the past two years. However, electability became the decisive concern among primary voters, and Kittisak’s campaign struggled against multiple avoidable blunders, including a speech in which he appeared to praise the communist-era dictator Wasana Chaiyawan as a “hero of South Dovani's democratic transformation,” and a resurfaced video in which he described Metzism, against Daenism, as “the only force capable of enlightening our backward people.” Kittisak's attempts to clarify or apologize for these statements did little to restore confidence in his candidacy, and often produced more questions than answers.

Meanwhile, former Agriculture Minister and long-time National Development Party (NDP) leader Napat Chansiri entered the race as a candidate with experience and broad appeal outside the coalition. Although his previous service under conservative governments made him controversial among voters across the various opposition parties, Napat gained momentum late in the campaign, particularly among those seeking a candidate capable of winning support beyond the coalition’s traditional centre-left and left-wing base.

Anong’s campaign emphasized her credentials outside of politics, highlighting her work as a progressive economist known nationally for her outspoken criticism of South Dovani’s elite-dominated market reforms and her anti-corruption activism. As Kittisak’s campaign faltered and Napat emerged as a late challenger, Anong became widely regarded as the frontrunner in what many had originally expected to be a two-way contest between Anong and Kittisak.

The first-ballot results underscored the closeness of the race. Kittisak narrowly led with 32.4% of the vote, followed by Anong with 30.6%, and Napat in third with 28.7%. Minor candidates collectively accounted for roughly 8% of first-ballot votes, with invalid or blank ballots representing 0.3%.

On the second ballot, Anong overtook Kittisak, largely benefiting from the transfer of Napat’s supporters. She secured 50.4% of valid second-ballot votes, compared to Kittisak’s 49.6%. In her victory speech, Anong, flanked by Napat and Kittisak, pledged to dissolve the National Assembly in her first act as president, fulfilling a key condition agreed upon by all coalition parties as a prerequisite for their support. She also vowed to back “any efforts made by the new elected government” to prosecute public figures found guilty of corruption, echoing the demands of the NERI Files protest movement. While the Supreme Court’s dissolution of the New Elephant Worker’s Party (NEWP) and the Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (PIE) removed members implicated in the scandal from the National Assembly, no major prosecutions have yet taken place.

Following President Kob Suchinda's withdrawal from the race last month, it is unclear who Anong will run against. At this stage, however, Anong is the clear favourite to win, ahead of the presidential election which will be held in exactly one year from now, as the opposition parties including the JP and Anong's CA have a commanding lead in the polls.

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Sue Pracha (สื่อประชา; People's Media) is South Dovani's leading progressive daily newspaper.