By Thai Newsroom Reporters
THE PEOPLE’S is anticipated to have the “invisible” potential to win up to 200 MP seats in the Feb.8 election, roughly grabbing 50 more MP seats in constituency-based mode than in a previous election, according to a noted academic.
Compared to 112 MP seats which the Move Forward, practically the former name of the People’s, had won in constituency-based mode of the 2023 election, the reformist camp might probably get some 50 more in the upcoming election mostly from those who had come out as the second largest voted contestants in the previous race, according to Thammasat University political scientist Prajak Kongkirati.
The remarkable event in which a total of 104 constituency-based contestants running under the tickets of the court-dissolved Move Forward in the previous election had emerged as the second largest voted ones, many of whom had been barely defeated in neck-and-neck fashion, had evidently underlined their “invisible” potential to score victories in the upcoming election, the Thammasat academic commented.
Over 14 million voters had chosen the Move Forward in party-listed mode of the previous election whilst only about nine million voters had picked the contestants running under the reformist camp’s tickets in constituency-based mode, thus giving away as many as five million votes in the latter mode to the contenders vying under the banners of rival parties, Prajak pointed out.
“Given their invisible potential which has been sustained since the previous election, the probability of the People’s winning up to 200 MP seats in party-listed and constituency-based modes combined, accounting for some 50 to increase from the previously gotten 151, could be scientifically proven that it is no fancy daydream,” he said.
The People’s has repeatedly encouraged prospective voters nationwide to pick their contestants running in both party-listed and constituency-based modes in lieu of only ticking on the party and not on the individuals as had been the case in the previous election so that they could eventually come out as the overwhelmingly largest elected party with uncompromised support from as many as 20 million votes and the righteous potential to establish a post-election government of their own presumably without the second and third largest elected camps scrambling to steal the setup of one.
In the 2023 election, the then Move Forward had emerged as the largest elected party with 10 more MP seats than the Pheu Thai – the numerical gap viewed as too narrow to overwhelmingly prevail – and eventually failed to name their then leader Pita Limjaroenrat for prime minister primarily due to decisive nay votes cast by the coup junta-appointed senators. However, the senators today are no longer legally empowered to vote either for or against anyone named for prime minister following the general election.
Relentlessly contesting against the People’s to become the largest elected party are the ultra-conservative Bhumjaithai, currently core of the caretaker government under de facto party boss Newin Chidchob.
Running for prime minister in competition against Caretaker Prime Minister/Bumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul is the People’s leader Nattapong Ruengpanyawut, among a couple of others of the reformist camp.
CAPTIONS:
Top and Front Page – People’s leader Nattapong Ruengpanyawut attending a campaign rally in Udon Thani. Photos – Thai Rath
First insert – Academic Prajak Kongkirati. Photo Thammasat University
Second insert – Caretaker Prime Minister/Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul campaigning in Sisaket. Photo – Naewna
Third insert – Former Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat at a campaign rally in Chiang Mai. Photo – Thai Rath
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