BANGKOK: Thailand&rsquo;s next general election will take place on February 8, the election commission said Monday, and parties must nominate their candidates for prime minister before the end of this year. &ldquo;Today the Election Commission has drafted election details and proposed to the Commissioner who agreed that Sunday, February 8, 2026 will be the election day,&rdquo; the commission said in a statement. Advance voting will take place on February 1. Ethics violation&nbsp;Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, of the conservative Bhumjaithai party, assumed office in September after his predecessor was removed over an ethics violation. He <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/thai-pm-dissolves-parliament-paving-way-for-national-elections" style="color: rgb(41, 105, 176);">dissolved</a> parliament on Friday, paving the way for the national poll -- which under Thai law must be held between 45 to 60 days after the dissolution. The move comes as a conflict stemming from a decades-long border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia reignited this month, with ongoing military clashes killing at least 31 people and displacing around 800,000. Anutin, a cannabis-championing conservative, took power with coalition backing conditional on dissolving parliament, becoming the kingdom&#39;s third leader in two years.

Asia

The election commission said in a statement, ‘Today the Election Commission has drafted election details and proposed to the Commissioner who agreed that Sunday, February 8, 2026 will be the election day.’ 

Thailand to go to the polls on February 8

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ISLAMABAD: A packed international calendar in the coming week will see voters decide Chile&rsquo;s future, central banks signal the path of interest rates, courts deliver verdicts in high-profile cases, and world leaders gather for talks amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.&nbsp; Politics and diplomacyVoters in Chile head to the polls on Sunday for the second round of the presidential election, a vote expected to shape the country&rsquo;s political direction amid economic uncertainty and social debate. In Europe, attention turns to Berlin on Monday, where Ukraine&rsquo;s President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to appear, underscoring Germany&rsquo;s continued diplomatic and economic engagement with Kyiv. European leaders will later gather in Brussels for a two-day EU summit, alongside meetings of energy and foreign ministers focused on security, climate, and trade.&nbsp; At the United Nations, the Security Council will hold a series of meetings throughout the week on flashpoints, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Yemen, Syria, Libya, and West Africa, and will also vote on the renewal of several peacekeeping missions. In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin is due to hold his annual press conference on Friday, followed over the weekend by an informal summit of Commonwealth of Independent States leaders in Saint Petersburg. EconomyChina releases key figures on retail sales, industrial output, and unemployment on Monday, offering insight into the health of the world&rsquo;s second-largest economy.&nbsp; The European Commission will review its proposal to end sales of new petrol cars by 2035, while the Bank of England and the European Central Bank announce monetary policy decisions on Thursday. Japan announces foreign trade figures for November on Wednesday, and the Bank of Japan&#39;s monetary policy decision on Friday. In the United States, upcoming data releases on inflation, jobs, retail sales, and consumer confidence, along with Nike&rsquo;s quarterly results, are expected to offer fresh insight into consumer demand heading into the new year. Legal and JusticeSeveral closely watched legal cases are scheduled. Hong Kong&#39;s court issues a verdict for media mogul Jimmy Lai early Monday morning in a press freedom case.&nbsp; Paris courts are handling multiple high-profile cases, including proceedings against former Lafarge executives accused of financing terrorism in Syria, as well as decisions on requests to suspend platforms such as Shein and Kick. In the United States, Ryan Routh faces sentencing on Thursday for the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in September 2024.&nbsp;A doctor received sentencing on Tuesday in Los Angeles over supplying narcotics connected to actor Matthew Perry&#39;s death.&nbsp;Florida executes a man on Thursday who confessed to five 1980s murders.&nbsp;The Justice Department must release documents in the Epstein case by Friday. SportsFootball dominates the week, with the 33rd SEA Games continuing in Bangkok through December 20, while attention turns to Doha for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final before the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Morocco over the weekend. Cricket fans will follow major fixtures in Australia and India, with T20 matches on Wednesday and Friday in Lucknow and Ahmedabad, and Australia hosting England for the third Test in Adelaide starting Wednesday. Alpine skiing takes center stage across multiple European venues with Women&#39;s World Cup events in St. Moritz on Sunday and Val-d&#39;Isere over the weekend.&nbsp; CulturePope Leo is due to lead a special Jubilee Mass for prisoners at St Peter&rsquo;s Basilica in Vatican City on Sunday. Lagos hosts its Street Art Festival 2025 through Monday.&nbsp; One of the first Hermes bags given to Jane Birkin goes up for sale on Monday in Paris. The UK marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen&#39;s birth on Tuesday. Boston sees protests against the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Tuesday. New Delhi holds the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Summit from Wednesday to Friday, while Tokyo hosts SEMICON JAPAN, a semiconductor expo, also from Wednesday to Friday. Thursday marks International Migrants Day worldwide.&nbsp;Pensioners protest in Athens on Tuesday morning, while a union-led demonstration against European agricultural policy and the EU-Mercosur trade agreement takes place in Brussels on Thursday.&nbsp; In the entertainment world, Disney is set to release the latest Avatar film in Los Angeles on Friday.

Europe

United Kingdom

Central Asia

Elections, court rulings,  and central bank decisions dominate the week ahead, as governments release key economic data, the UN debates global conflicts, and major cultural and sporting events unfold across multiple regions.

World in the week ahead: Global events

NEW YORK: New York&#39;s incoming leftist mayor Zohran Mamdani said Sunday he still believes US President Donald Trump is a fascist, even after the two had a warm meeting at the White House. &quot;That&#39;s something that I&#39;ve said in the past, I say it today,&quot; the mayor-elect said on NBC news. The self-described Democratic Socialist on Friday met the Republican leader, setting aside months of mutual recriminations and promising to cooperate on the city&#39;s future. Trump, who had previously suggested the Ugandan-born New Yorker should be deported, even came to his rescue as the two addressed reporters at the White House on Friday. When a journalist asked Mamdani if he continued to view Trump as a fascist, the president stepped in. &quot;That&#39;s OK. You can just say it. That&#39;s easier,&quot; Trump told Mamdani. &quot;It&#39;s easier than explaining it. I don&#39;t mind.&quot; In his NBC interview Sunday morning, Mamdani elaborated: &quot;I appreciated about the conversation that I had with the president was that we were not shy about the places of disagreement, about the politics that has brought us to this moment,&quot; he said. He added: &quot;I found in the meeting that I had with the president a productive one and a meeting that came back again and again to the central themes of the campaign that we ran: the cost of housing, cost of child care, the cost of groceries, the cost of utilities.&quot; After threatening to cut federal funding to the United States&#39; biggest city and sending in the National Guard, Trump at the White House praised Mamdani&#39;s historic election win, said he could do a &quot;great job.&quot; &quot;We&#39;re going to be helping him to make everybody&#39;s dream come true: having a strong and very safe New York,&quot; Trump said.

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 21: U.S. President Donald Trump meets with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (L) in the Oval Office of the White House on November 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Im

Americas

New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani reaffirmed calling President Trump a fascist despite a cordial White House meeting, saying they openly discussed disagreements but focused on shared priorities like housing and living costs as Trump pledged cooperation.

New York mayor-elect Mamdani still views Trump as fascist

TOKYO: Japan&#39;s governing party leader, Sanae Takaichi, is on track to become the country&rsquo;s first female prime minister, after finding a badly needed replacement for a crucial partner that left her Liberal Democratic Party&rsquo;s coalition. Takaichi, 64, would replace Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tuesday&rsquo;s parliamentary vote. If she&#39;s successful, it would end Japan&#39;s three-month political vacuum and wrangling since the coalition&#39;s loss in the July parliamentary election. The moderate centrist Komeito party split from the LDP after a 26-year-long coalition. The move by Komeito came days after Takaichi&rsquo;s election as president of her party, and it forced her into a desperate search for a replacement to secure votes so that she can become prime minister. The Buddhist-backed Komeito left after raising concerns about her ultraconservative politics and the LDP&rsquo;s lax response to slush fund scandals that led to their consecutive election defeats and loss of majority in both houses. While the leaders of the country&#39;s top three opposition parties failed to unite for a change of government, Takaichi went for a quick fix by teaming up with the most conservative of them: The Osaka-based Ishin no Kai, or Japan Innovation Party. But the long-term stability of their cooperation is an unknown. The two parties are set to sign a coalition agreement on Monday. An eventual Takaichi premiership would be on a cliff edge. The fragile new coalition, still a minority, would need cooperation from other opposition groups to pass any legislation. It would be a risk that could lead to an unstable, short-lived leadership. Big diplomatic tests come within days &mdash; talks with US President Donald Trump and regional summits. At home, she needs to quickly tackle rising prices and compile economic boosting measures to address the frustrated public. Unpopular among womenAn admirer of former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Takaichi&#39;s breaking of the glass ceiling makes history in a country whose gender equality ranks poorly internationally. But many women aren&#39;t celebrating, and some see her impending premiership as a setback. &ldquo;The prospect of a first female prime minister doesn&rsquo;t make me happy,&rdquo; sociologist Chizuko Ueno posted on X. Ueno explained that Takaichi&rsquo;s leadership would elevate Japan&rsquo;s gender equality ranking, but &ldquo;that doesn&rsquo;t mean Japanese politics becomes kinder to women.&rdquo; Takaichi, an ultraconservative star of her male-dominated party, is among those who have stonewalled measures for women&rsquo;s advancement. Takaichi supports the imperial family&rsquo;s male-only succession, opposes same-sex marriage and a revision to the civil law allowing separate last names for married couples, so women don&rsquo;t get pressured into abandoning theirs. The prospect for a dual system for last names is fading under Takaichi, Ueno says. &ldquo;Ms. Takaichi&rsquo;s policies are extremely hawkish and I doubt she would consider policies to recognize diversity,&rdquo; said Chiyako Sato, a political commentator and senior writer for the Mainichi newspaper. Rising prices and population declineIf she&#39;s successful in the parliamentary vote, Takaichi would immediately launch her Cabinet on Tuesday and make a policy speech later in the week. A protege of assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi is expected to emulate his economic and security policies. With a potentially weak grip on power, it&#39;s unknown how much Takaichi would be able to achieve. She would have only a few days to prepare for diplomatic tests &mdash; major regional summits and talks with Trump in between. She has to reassure that there will be stable ties with China and South Korea, which are concerned about her revisionist views on wartime history and past visits to the Yasukuni Shrine. The shrine honors Japan&rsquo;s 2.5 million war dead, including convicted war criminals. Victims of Japanese aggression, especially China and the Koreas, see visits to the shrine as a lack of remorse about Japan&rsquo;s wartime past. Takaichi supports a stronger military, currently undergoing a five-year buildup with the annual defense budget being doubled to 2% of gross domestic product by 2027. Trump is expected to demand that Japan increase its military spending to NATO targets of 5% of GDP, and purchase more US weapons. Takaichi has to follow up on Japan&rsquo;s pledge of $550 billion to Trump&rsquo;s administration as part of a US tariff deal. Her policies focus on short-term measures such as rising prices, salary increase and subsidies, as well as restrictions against a growing foreign population amid a rise of xenophobia. Takaichi hasn&#39;t shown a vision for Japan to address bigger issues like demographic challenges. Takaichi&rsquo;s dilemmaTakaichi&rsquo;s mission is to regain conservative votes by pushing the party further to the right. The LDP&rsquo;s new coalition with the right-wing JIP may fit Takaichi&#39;s views, but experts say that she would have to avoid pushing them and prioritize stability. She needs to balance relations between China and the United States under Trump, while at home she also needs balance to gain support from the opposition camp to achieve anything. &ldquo;She needs to be realistic,&rdquo; says Sato, the commentator. On Friday, Takaichi sent a religious ornament instead of going to the Yasukuni Shrine, apparently to avoid a diplomatic dispute with Beijing and Seoul. To consolidate opposition cooperation and lift her coalition closer to a majority, she has reached out to smaller opposition groups, including the far-right Sanseito. &ldquo;There is no room for Takaichi to show her true colors. All she can do is cooperate per policy,&rdquo; said Masato Kamikubo, a Ritsumeikan University political science professor. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a pathetic situation.&rdquo; A kingmaker&#39;s influenceTakaichi&rsquo;s election as LDP leader as she seeks the premiership is about power politics by the 85-year-old conservative former Prime Minister Taro Aso, the party&rsquo;s most powerful kingmaker. In her first move as LDP president, Takaichi appointed Aso as the party&#39;s vice president and gave more top jobs to his allies and others who supported her, including Abe allies linked to the funds scandal. Takaichi is expected to appoint them to her Cabinet. Political instabilityPolitical observers expect that a Takaichi government wouldn&#39;t last long. An early election may have to be called later this year, in hopes of regaining a majority in the lower house, though that would be tough. Experts also raise concerns about how Takaichi, a fiscal expansionist, can coordinate economic policies with Ishin&#39;s fiscal conservative views. &ldquo;The era of LDP domination is over and we are entering the era of multiparty politics. The question is how to form a coalition,&rdquo; Sato said, noting a similar trend in Europe. &ldquo;We need to find a Japanese way of forming a coalition and a stable government.&rdquo; About a dozen opposition parties span the spectrum from the Japanese Communist Party on the left to Sanseito and several others on the extreme right. &ldquo;What&rsquo;s going on here right now is what&rsquo;s going on in all our democracies for a lot of complicated reasons,&rdquo; said Gerald Curtis, a Columbia University professor and expert on Japanese politics, citing the mainstream political parties losing popularity, and voters acting on the basis of anger and resentment.

Ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi is poised to become Japan's first female prime minister, forming a fragile coalition amid political instability, rising prices, and diplomatic challenges, though her leadership faces deep public and ideological divides.


Articles tagged with "Elections"

Thailand to go to the polls on February 8

World in the week ahead: Global events

New York mayor-elect Mamdani still views Trump as fascist

Sanae Takaichi likely to win Japan elections