Thai Liberal party candidate, Detthawee Srivichai, has won the by-election in Lampang province’s Constituency 4, beating his rival from the Thai Economic party, Wattana Sitthiwang, according unofficial poll results released late Sunday night. About 58% of the roughly 160,000 eligible voters cast their ballots.

Thai Economic party leader, former deputy agriculture minister Thammanat Prompao, conceded defeat late last night(Sunday), as he congratulated the winner and thanked the people of Ko Kha, Soem Ngam, Sop Prap, Thoen and Mae Prik districts who turned out to vote.

He said that the party will learn a lesson from this by-election defeat and address its weaknesses, including a lack of clarity over whether the party is with the government or the opposition, and improve its performance.

The newly launched Thai Economic Party is mainly filled with former Palang Pracharath MPs loyal to Thammanat, after the group was sacked from the party.

Thai Liberal party leader Pol Gen Sereepisuth Temeeyaves, meanwhile, thanked election officials for the smooth election shortly after polls closed.

The by-election had been ordered by the Supreme Court’s Division for Election Cases, after the Election Commission had issued a “yellow” card against Wattana, a former MP of the Palang Pracharath party, following allegations of electoral fraud.

In the eastern coastal province of Chon Buri yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister and Palang Pracharath party leader General Prawit Wongsuwan, was on the campaign trail, to woo public support for the core government party ahead of the general election next year.

During his address, given at Chon Buri provincial hall, General Prawit extolled the government’s implementation of various development projects in the province, including water supply for household, agricultural and industrial consumption.

He urged people in the province to vote for the party’s 10 candidates standing in this province in the next general election.