Listen to this articlePeople cast their votes in a polling unit set up inside Ban Bang Kapi School in Bangkok for the last general election on May 14, 2023. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)The cabinet has approved a budget of nearly 9 billion baht for the Election Commission (EC) to stage the 2026 general election and a referendum on whether to draft a new constitution on Feb 8. Of the total allocation, 6.75 billion baht has been earmarked for the general election, 525 million for the referendum, and 1.7 billion baht for personnel and operational expenses, for a total of 8.978 billion baht. EC chairman Narong Klanwarin held a meeting on Tuesday with commissioners, secretary-general Sawaeng Boonmee, his deputies and other staff to oversee preparations for the election and referendum. Key agenda items included candidate registration procedures, election management and dissemination of referendum guidelines.

Source: Bangkok Post December 23, 2025 14:06 UTC