The Pheu Thai Party commands the support of more than 60% of the electorate in the northeastern province of Udon Thani, a traditional stronghold of the "red-shirt" United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), an opinion poll showed on Sunday.
Pheu Thai's Paetongtarn "Ung-Ing" Shinawatra leads other potential candidates for the post of prime minister with almost 50% of the vote, according to a survey by the National Institute of Development Association, or Nida Poll. The daughter of exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was followed far behind by Pita Limjaroenrat of the Move Forward Party and current prime minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, now of the United Thai Nation Party.
The poll was conducted on Feb 24-March 2 by telephone interviews with 1,020 eligible voters aged 18 and over in Udon Thani, where 10 House seats are up for grabs in the next election.
Asked whose name they would tick for the post of prime minister in the forthcoming election, the answers were:
• 48.24% for Paetongtarn "Ung Ing" Shinawatra of the Pheu Thai Party
• 11.96% for Pita Limjaroenrat of the Move Forward Party
• 10.29% for Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha of the United Thai Nation Party
• 7.84% nobody was suitable
• 7.55% for Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan of the Thai Sang Thai Party
• 5.59% for Gen Sereepisuth Temeeyaves of the Seri Ruam Thai Party
• 2.45% for Dr Cholnan Srikaew of the Pheu Thai Party
• 2.06% for Anutin Charnvirakul of the Bhumjaithai Party
• 1.18% for Korn Chatikawanij of the Chartpattanakla Party
• The rest, 2.84% combined, for Jurin Laksanawisit (Democrat), Somkid Jatusripitak (Sang Anakhot Thai), Gen Prawit Wongsuwon (Palang Pracharath), Mingkwan Saengsuwan (Palang Pracharath), Kanchana Silpa-archa (Chartthaipattana), Pirapan Salirathavibhaga (United Thai Nation), Mongkolkit Suksintaranon (Thai Civilised), Dr Warong Dechgitvigrom (Thai Pakdee) and those with no answers or were not interested.
Asked from which party they would choose constituency MPs, the answers were:
• 61.27% Pheu Thai
• 14.41% Move Forward
• 7.16% United Thai Nation
• 4.90% Thai Sang Thai
• 2.84% Seri Ruam Thai
• 2.75% Bhumjaithai
• 2.65% still undecided
• 1.27% Democrat
• 1.27% Palang Pracharath
• The rest, 1.48% combined, were distributed among the Sang Anakhot Thai, Chartpattanakla, Chartthaipattana, Thai Pakdee, Thai Civilised, Ruam Palang and Thai Economics parties, along with those who did not answer or were not interested.
Asked which party they would vote for in the party-list system of proportional representation, the answers were:
• 61.08% Pheu Thai
• 14.41% Move Forward
• 7.75% United Thai Nation
• 4.71% Thai Sang Thai
• 2.84% Bhumjaithai
• 2.75% Seri Ruam Thai
• 2.65% still undecided
• 1.37% Democrat
• The rest, 2.44% combined, were distributed among the Palang Pracharath, Sang Anakhot Thai, Chartthaipattana, Chartpattanakla, Thai Pakdee, Thai Civilised, Ruam Palang and Thai Economics parties, along with those who did not answer or were not interested.
The Pheu Thai Party swept all eight House seats in Udon Thani in the 2019 election. The province will have 10 MPs in the coming election.
