The main opposition Move Forward party is likely to win the next Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO) elections next February, according to the latest opinion poll from Rangsit University.
More than 50% of the respondents said they will vote for Move Forward candidates in the nation-wide PAO elections on February 3.
Associate Professor Thamrongsak Petlert-anan, of the Political Science Faculty at Rangsit University, said that the poll results reflect a desire by local people to move away from the domination of local politics by influential families.
In his Facebook post today, Thamrongsak wrote that the poll results come from 4,305 responses to a questionnaire in 47 provinces. The poll was conducted between April 8 and 21 .
He said the subjects were simply asked which political parties they will support in the next PAO elections.
The poll shows that nationally 58.77% of the respondents will vote for the Move Forward, 13.59% for the Pheu Thai, 2.65% for Bhumjaithai, 2.56% for the Thai Sang Chart party, 2.44% for the Democrats, 1.99% for the Palang Pracharath and 1.74% for other parties.
Meanwhile 2.42% say they will vote for independent candidates and 13.84% say they don’t yet have an opinion.
The Move Forward party is most favoured among the respondents regionally as well, with 60.60% of the respondents in Bangkok and 60.90% in the central region saying that they will vote for them, while 60.20% in the north-eastern region, 39.10% in the northern region, 55.50% in the southern region (60% in the three southernmost provinces) say they will vote for the Move Forward party.
As far as the Pheu Thai party is concerned, 13.20% of the respondents in Bangkok will vote for them, 12.70% in the central region, 18.70% in the north-eastern region, 27.40% in the northern region and 10.90% in the southern region (6.70% in the three restive southernmost provinces).
Dr. Thamrongsak said the poll results show that the political landscape upcountry is changing, with influential families, who used to control local politics, losing their grip.
