Just over a week before Thailand’s general election, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul trekked to the Thai-Cambodian border and posed with frontline soldiers as the national flag fluttered in the breeze, protective gear layered over his government uniform.

That embrace of the military, and apparent backing of the country’s conservative establishment, has given Anutin’s Bhumjaithai Party an edge in the Feb. 8 vote. Once seen as a midsized broker skilled at trading seats for Cabinet posts, the party has steadily expanded its footprint, leveraging its time in government and pragmatic deal-making to court voters beyond its traditional rural strongholds.

As nationalist sentiment surged following last year’s flare-up along the border, Anutin has tapped public concerns over security and national pride by promising stability and a firm defense of Thai sovereignty — a message that has resonated as tensions linger.

Adblock test (Why?)