File photo for reference only

 

Former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has agreed to return as the leader of the Democrat Party, as confirmed by former Democrat MP for Trang, Sathit Wongnongtoei. This decision follows the resignation of Chalermchai Sri-on as party leader, necessitating the election of a new executive board. Abhisit's return is seen as a move to boost morale among party members amid ongoing political challenges.

 

The recent resignation of Chalermchai Sri-on last week set the stage for leadership changes within the Democrat Party. Abhisit, who previously led the party from 2005 to 2019 and served as Thailand’s Prime Minister from 2008 to 2011, resigned in 2019 after a sharp decline in party support during the general election. The party's historical significance as Thailand’s oldest political group adds weight to Abhisit’s comeback.

 

According to former Democrat MP for Songkhla, Sirichoke Sopha, Abhisit is seen as a qualified candidate not only for party leadership but also as a leader of the nation. However, Sirichoke noted that the current political environment has shifted significantly. Campaigning for both local and national elections now demands greater financial resources, and the new leader must dedicate themselves fully to this demanding role.

 

Moving forward, the Democrat Party will focus on electing a new executive board and preparing for upcoming elections under Abhisit's leadership. As the political landscape evolves, the party aims to strengthen its position and address the challenges that led to its previous decline in support.

 

Key Takeaways

• Abhisit Vejjajiva is set to return as Democrat Party leader.
• His leadership aims to revitalize the party amid political challenges.
• The political landscape now requires increased resources for campaigning.

 

Related Stories:

Court to Rule on UDD Leaders Over 2009 Protests Against Abhisit

Abhisit and Deputy Finance Minister to Discuss Casino Plan

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Bangkok Post 2025-09-16

 

 

At one point of time i actually believed he would make a good prime minister. 
But he was too impatient and sold out to the military. He did irreparable damage to his image and reputation while his party self destructed along the way. 

11 minutes ago, Hunz Kittisak said:

At one point of time i actually believed he would make a good prime minister. 
But he was too impatient and sold out to the military. He did irreparable damage to his image and reputation while his party self destructed along the way. 

at least he stood up and accepted murderer charges against him   he did not do a runner to dubai  like thaskin did 

7 minutes ago, Hunz Kittisak said:

At one point of time i actually believed he would make a good prime minister. 

surprise surprise, i do agree with you on this for once ...

 

abhisit was simply too weak and never managed to achieve anything that really benefited thailand in a long run ...

did he really serve 3 years as prime minister? hard to believe ... maybe i’m just getting older ... 

2 hours ago, motdaeng said:

surprise surprise, i do agree with you on this for once ...

 

abhisit was simply too weak and never managed to achieve anything that really benefited thailand in a long run ...

did he really serve 3 years as prime minister? hard to believe ... maybe i’m just getting older ... 

If he had just bided his time the PM seat would have eventually be his in due course. Instead he got impatient and threw in his lot with the military. That caused his downfall. 

I seem to remember a statement by Abhisit advocating that Thailand become a "welfare state", just before he was ousted.

8 minutes ago, KwaiSabai said:

I seem to remember a statement by Abhisit advocating that Thailand become a "welfare state", just before he was ousted.

Thailand a  "welfare state",    that would be dreaming  !!   thais are tooooooo greedy  toooo much corruption   keep on dreaming  

1 minute ago, MikeandDow said:

Thailand a  "welfare state",    that would be dreaming  !!   thais are tooooooo greedy  toooo much corruption   keep on dreaming  

That was Abhisit's dream, not mine. Welfare states are expensive.

16 minutes ago, KwaiSabai said:

That was Abhisit's dream, not mine. Welfare states are expensive.

For Thailand its  a " impossible dream"  

4 hours ago, MikeandDow said:

at least he stood up and accepted murderer charges against him   he did not do a runner to dubai  like thaskin did 

I don’t recall him doing a runner.  As I remember he was in New York for a UN meeting when they preformed a coup.  

Well, I suppose you have to give him full marks for persistence!

 

Rather turning into Groundhog Day isn't it?

 

Thaksin moved to the prison hospital, Abhisit back as leader of the Democrats, keep an eye out for troop convoys, stocks of flowers in the wholesale flower markets and 7/11 special deals on cool boxes full of sodas to give the troops!

 

 

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Abhisit's return is seen as a move to boost morale among party members amid ongoing political challenges.

Lets hope he has changed his ways from the last effort.

The return of  a person that some  describe as one of the most ineffective and useless opportunistic politicians of the past 40 years. A man who's political career was based based upon political connections and not achievement.

 

And what exactly will the recent Vice Chairman of Saha Pathanapibul PCL, Thailand's consumer products distributor  bring to the Thai people? A discount on Mont Fleur water? Or perhaps a discount on Kewpie salad dressings?   Did he receive the blessing of the powerful  Chokwatana family to do this? It was rather kind of them to find a place for Abhisit at their firm, although I don't know what he actually did there. It does beg the question as to whether or not Mama noodles will be the designated giveaway gift item at Democrat rallies now.

 

I doubt that the man has any political goodwill with the Thai people. Maybe he is back, knowing that great Thai  people have been sidelined. He can coast to a position now that honest and capable people such as Pita Limjaroenrat are banned and persecuted. 

I went to school with "Mark" back in the UK. He wasn't a bad lad actually, quite a nice bloke - Don't know the politics, but they could do a lot worse.

30 minutes ago, Formaleins said:

I went to school with "Mark" back in the UK. He wasn't a bad lad actually, quite a nice bloke - Don't know the politics, but they could do a lot worse.

I agree. I knew his father quite well as an alumnus of my old university, and had a face to face with Abhisit about a corruption issue. I choose to beieve, based on that olus no evidence to the contrary that, like Chuan Keekpai, he is anticorruption, and has enough family wealth, not acquired through politics, to keep his own nose out of the trough. I assume that he took the PM position on offer from the military last time because he thought that he might be able to do some good, but was not allowed to carry it out. Wtih reference to the "welfare state", which certainly sounds like something intended to help the Thai people broadly, that could easily include and build on the Bt 30 Healthcare introduced by Thaksin I think, which I still see widely touted as one of the good things he did. I also heard that PP were talking about a Bt 3,000 payment per month for poor people, which was criticised as unsustainable. It is worth noting that the Thai budget for 2026 is Bt 3.28 trillion. If you take a commission rate of 20%, which is a realistic estimate, that would allow for paying 18 million people Bt 36,000 per year, without affecting the budget. That amount of money in peoples pockets would increase trade at a local level and circulate around several times.

Let us hope that more people like Abhisit and some from PP can rise to the top and make a difference. It was reassuriung that PP did a deal with BJT which did not involve taking their turn at the trough.

Though the guy is younger and smarter than most, he was very ineffective as PM once before, and it's probably not a good idea to have him leading a party at this time. More youthful and more forward thinking, and more effective leaders are desperately needed. 

10 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Though the guy is younger and smarter than most, he was very ineffective as PM once before, and it's probably not a good idea to have him leading a party at this time. More youthful and more forward thinking, and more effective leaders are desperately needed. 

 

 

I would agree. As likeable as Abhisit is, it does look like a regressive step from the Democrats. 

1 hour ago, Patong2021 said:

The return of  a person that some  describe as one of the most ineffective and useless opportunistic politicians of the past 40 years. A man who's political career was based based upon political connections and not achievement.

 

And what exactly will the recent Vice Chairman of Saha Pathanapibul PCL, Thailand's consumer products distributor  bring to the Thai people? A discount on Mont Fleur water? Or perhaps a discount on Kewpie salad dressings?   Did he receive the blessing of the powerful  Chokwatana family to do this? It was rather kind of them to find a place for Abhisit at their firm, although I don't know what he actually did there. It does beg the question as to whether or not Mama noodles will be the designated giveaway gift item at Democrat rallies now.

 

I doubt that the man has any political goodwill with the Thai people. Maybe he is back, knowing that great Thai  people have been sidelined. He can coast to a position now that honest and capable people such as Pita Limjaroenrat are banned and persecuted. 

He is a career politician he has almost no prior working experience. Groomed from young for politics. This is quite amazing in itself actually. 

1 hour ago, Formaleins said:

I went to school with "Mark" back in the UK. He wasn't a bad lad actually, quite a nice bloke - Don't know the politics, but they could do a lot worse.

You must be from the upper crust. The chap went to private school. Eton college no less

21 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has agreed to return as the leader of the Democrat Party,

 

The yellow shirt mass murderer who sanctioned, along with the DPM at that time, the shoot to kill policy to put down red shirt protesters in Bangkok 2010 . 91 people, mostly unarmed civilians were killed. This is his legacy.

6 hours ago, Formaleins said:

Don't know the politics, but they could do a lot worse.

They could do a lot better.

2 minutes ago, Burma Bill said:

91 people, mostly unarmed civilians were killed. This is his legacy.

1 minute ago, Burma Bill said:

 

The yellow shirt mass murderer who sanctioned, along with the DPM at that time, the shoot to kill policy to put down red shirt protesters in Bangkok 2010 . 91 people, mostly unarmed civilians were killed. This is his legacy.

Correct  and he stood up and went to court was found not guilty,  not like Thaskin sanctioned over 2500 killed  and then he laughed when he was found out "I've done nothing wrong!" he laughs. "I just give the policy." he ran away from his crimes to dubai 

 

18 hours ago, KwaiSabai said:

That was Abhisit's dream, not mine. Welfare states are expensive.

Not if you do it in the right way, look at the Scandinavian countries.

His first name is officially Mark. It isn't his nickname; it is his real first name. He is a British born politician in Thailand.

Wouldn't want anyone to be confused.

1 hour ago, Purdey said:

His first name is officially Mark. It isn't his nickname; it is his real first name. He is a British born politician in Thailand.

Wouldn't want anyone to be confused.

 

Thanks and very much so.

 

Reference Wikipedia:- 

 

Born in Newcastle, England, went to Eton Public school during his teenage life, before continuing his higher education at Oxford University. Abhisit received a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) with first class honor and master's degree in Economics.

After graduation, Abhisit started his career life as lecturer at Oxford University in Economics before coming back to Thailand after receiving his master's degree, as a Lecturer at Thammasart University from 1990-1991. Abhisit’s “family is a circle of accomplished individuals”. His father, Professor Doctor Athasit Vejjajiva, an ex-minister of public health and his mother, Professor Doctor Sodsai Vejjajiva. 

His nephew is the spokesman for the People's Party.

Plainly very bright, one of Abhisit's drawbacks in my view was the obvious difference between himself and the vast majority of Thai people in his use of language, mannerisms etc. 

He just seemed so out of place in a rice field, for example. I remember  the story told to me that when local Democrats invited him to Klong Toei to meet the locals, he asked them why they had invited him to such a place!

The Democrats have often had capable people in their ranks, it's a shame their conservatism has rendered them almost irrelevant.

 

His cousin was a Thaksin loyalist 

22 hours ago, ericthai said:

I don’t recall him doing a runner.  As I remember he was in New York for a UN meeting when they preformed a coup.  

That, if my memory is correct, was our Mr Tucksin, he was about to address the UN General Assembly when it all blew up.

13 hours ago, JAG said:

Well, I suppose you have to give him full marks for persistence!

 

Rather turning into Groundhog Day isn't it?

 

Thaksin moved to the prison hospital, Abhisit back as leader of the Democrats, keep an eye out for troop convoys, stocks of flowers in the wholesale flower markets and 7/11 special deals on cool boxes full of sodas to give the troops!

 

 

Thaksin back in hospital again !?