BANGKOK — 19 January 2026, Somkid Cheukong, a party-list parliamentary candidate for the Pheu Thai Party, criticised the government and the Election Commission for failing from the outset to seriously pursue constitutional amendments, accusing them of staging what he called a “ritual” to deceive the public.
Mr. Somkid said there were fewer than 20 days left before Thai voters nationwide would make a crucial decision about the country’s future, including the election of members of parliament and a referendum on amending the 2017 constitution. Yet, he said, many people remained unaware that on 8 February, in addition to voting in the general election, they would also be asked to vote in a constitutional referendum.
He said he was surprised to find, during visits to local communities, that many people said they did not know about the referendum.
Mr. Somkid said both the government and the Election Commission, which is directly responsible for organising the vote, had failed to prioritise public awareness, despite having a large budget. He said there had been no meaningful public campaign or outreach to explain how the referendum would work or why it mattered, apart from distributing thick booklets to households.
“Do they really expect ordinary people to read them?” he said.
Mr. Somkid said only the Pheu Thai Party had actively campaigned to encourage people to take part in the referendum and decide for themselves whether to accept or reject the proposed constitutional changes. Other political parties, he said, had merely paid lip service to the issue and shown no real commitment to campaigning on the referendum.
He said it was clear the government, particularly Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, the acting prime minister and leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, had never been serious about amending the constitution.
Mr. Somkid said promises to amend the constitution, which formed part of political agreements that enabled Mr Anutin to assume the premiership, were deceptive from the beginning.
“At first, he accepted the conditions in order to take office, but once he got there, he discarded them all,” Mr. Somkid said. “It was nothing more than an act to deceive young people and the public.”
He said the government’s actions showed the process was merely ceremonial, adding that Mr. Anutin knew what the outcome would be but did not care, as his sole aim was securing the position of prime minister.
“His talk of constitutional reform is nothing more than rhetoric to fool people,” Mr. Somkid said.