Palang Pracharat party candidate in the Bangkok Constituency 9 by-election, Saranrat Jenjaka, and her husband, former MP Sira, conceded defeat after ballots of half of the 280 polling units had been counted.

At about 7.10pm this evening (Sunday), the unofficial vote count showed Pheu Thai party’s candidate Surachart Thienthong leading with 25,010 votes, followed by Move Forward party’s Karoonpon Tiensuwan, who received 17,232 votes, Kla party candidate Atavit Suwannapakdee’s 16,360 votes and Saranrat’s 6,582 votes.

Sira told a news conference, held at the party’s headquarters this evening, that he and the campaign team had done their best and that he had no regrets for the election loss, saying that the final decision rests with the voters.

He said that the party will try to analyse why it lost adding, however, that he did not blame Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha or Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, who is also leader of Palang Pracharat party.

He also congratulated the unofficial poll winner, Surachart Thienthong.

Sira won the election in this constituency in the 2019 with 33,321 votes against Surachart’s 30,564.