By Thai Newsroom Reporters
MOST PROSPECTIVE VOTERS would prefer to pick the People’s over all other parties contesting the general election scheduled for Feb.8 and most say they will deny those who have switched camps to seek re-election in constituency-based mode, according to a Thai Rath poll.
The opinion poll, recently conducted among a total of 11,419 people in varied walks of life nationwide, found 41% of the respondents say they will vote for the People’s led by Nattapong Ruengpanyawut in party-listed mode of the nationwide election in sustained preference over other contenders. Nattapong is among a trio of the People’s contestants for prime minister besides deputy party leaders Sirikanya Tansakun and Veerayooth Kanchoochat.
That compared to 19% of the respondents who say they will tick on the Pheu Thai featuring Yodchanan Wongsawat as top partisan contestant for prime minister alongside his running mates namely Pheu Thai electoral campaign director Suriya Juangroongruangkit and party leader Julapun Amornvivat, 13% who say they will endorse the Bhumjaithai, core of the current coalition government led by Caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul who is vying to retain his elected premiership alongside running mate for head of a post-election government namely Foreign Minister Sihasak Puangketkeow and 10% who say they will pick the Democrats led by former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva who is desperately running to return as head of the executive branch, albeit with a relatively slim chance of success.
In addition, the Thai Rath poll found 56% of the respondents say they will not vote for those contestants who have earlier departed one party for another in order to seek re-election in constituency-based mode whilst 34% say they are undecided for the time being and 9% say they will pick the party-skipping candidates such as the likes of those vying under the Bhumjaithai and Klatham tickets, among others.
Meanwhile, Pichai Ratanadilok na Phuket, NIDA’s director of the Political & Development Strategies Project, forecast that the ultra-conservative Bhumjaithai under de facto party boss Newin Chidchob will unrelentingly compete against the neo-conservative Pheu Thai under de facto party boss/inmate Thaksin Shinawatra for all 133 northeastern constituencies and many of the 90 central constituencies.
Newin’s camp will fiercely fight against the ultra-conservative Klatham under de facto party boss/Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Agriculture & Cooperatives Minister Thammanat Prompao and the Old School conservative Democrats for many of the 59 southern constituencies.
The reformist People’s will mostly vie against the Pheu Thai and Klatham over many of the 37 northern constituencies and against the Bhumjaithai over many of the 29 eastern constituencies whilst Newin’s camp will unsparingly compete against the Democrats for many of the 19 western constituencies.
The People’s who had scored overwhelming victories in nearly all 33 Bangkok constituencies and most of those in the capital’s outlying provinces in the 2023 election are largely believed to repeat their predominant triumphs in the Feb.8 election, largely owing to sentiment of many prospective voters who have been patiently anticipating change in political climate, according to the NIDA academic.
CAPTIONS:
Top and Front Page – People’s Party leader Nattapong Ruengpanyawut flanked by Sirikanya Tansakun and Veerayooth Kanchoochat.
First insert – Pheu Thai prime minister candidate Yodchanan Wongsawat.
Second insert – Caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
Third insert – Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva. All photos – Thai Rath
Also read:
People’s future MPs will no longer vote Anutin for PM: Thanathorn
Bhumjaithai aims to get no less than 20 MP seats in party-listed mode
Former chief doctor linked to Thaksin case could be promoted before retirement
Phuket landowner tables airport expansion plan
