2023 Rayong 3rd district by-election

2023 by-election in Rayong's 3rd constituency

← 2023 10 September 2023 (2023-09-10) Next →
Rayong's 3rd constituency
Registered	122,582
Turnout	56.52% 21.35 pp
First party Second party Third party   MFP DEM NBLP Candidate Phongsathorn Sornphetnarin Banyat Chetanachan Ruangchai Sombatphoothon Party Move Forward Democrat Nation Building Labour Party Popular vote 39,296 26,376 881 Percentage 59.04% 39.63% 1.32% Swing 26.59 pp 23.24 pp New
Map of districts for the 2023 general election in Rayong province, showing the 3rd District in the province's east
MP before election Nakhonchai Khunnarong Move Forward Elected MP Phongsathorn Sornpetchnarin Move Forward

The 2023 Rayong 3rd district by-election was a by-election held on 10 September to elect the next member of the Thai House of Representatives in Rayong's 3rd district. The by-election was held as a result of the resignation of Move Forward MP, Nakornchai Khunnarong, on 3 August after it was discovered Nakornchai had a criminal record.^[1]

On 20 August 2023, the Thai Electoral Commission (EC) announced the date of the by-election to be 10 September. The EC also announced that any candidates hoping to run in the election would have to register in August 15 to 19. By the end of the deadline, three candidates registered, representing the Move Forward, Democrat and the Nation Building Labour.

Move Forward was expected to win in a landslide,^[2] with party leader Pita Limjaroenrat calling on voters to deliver its candidate a landslide.^[3] The election was the first election in Thailand since the general elections. Phongsathorn Sornpetchnarin, the candidate of the Move Forward Party, won the seat with a large margin, beating the Democrat candidate by just under 20 percent.