ELECTION SPECIAL

PPP flourishes in northern zone

Promise to bring back Thaksin and restore his policies a sure winner

Pradit Ruangdit

The People Power party (PPP) is hoping to take most of the 50 constituency seats and the lion's share of the proportional representation vote in zone 1, which comprises 11 northernmost provinces.

The figures anticipated by the party's executives are mainly based on the popularity of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the populist policies of his dissolved Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party, whose former members are running under the PPP banner.

In cluster 1, covering 11 provinces, the PPP has a competitive edge over other rival parties due to its resources and manpower.

Atthajak Satayanurak, a social science lecturer at Chiang Mai University, said the populist policies initiated by TRT still captured the hearts of rural folk and were useful tools for attracting votes.

Throughout its years in office, the Thaksin government focused on rural development through its populist policies. Huge sums of money were injected into rural areas, benefiting the rural poor, he said.

The PPP need not flex any more muscles to win support. The party has simply told voters that it would proceed with the good policies of the deposed Thaksin government and sent out the message that its politicians had translated the populist policies into action, said Mr Atthajak.

"The PPP has stirred up Thaksin fever. Its campaign portrays Mr Thaksin as a person who was wrongly accused. During the last leg of its campaign, the PPP told its supporters that Mr Thaksin will surely return to the country after the election." He said the Democrats, though they were warmly received among urban voters, had failed to reach out to rural villagers, many of whom don't feel they will benefit under the party.

He said the PPP had a great chance to win most of the seats in cluster 1 through the proportional representation system.

In the constituency system, seats are likely to be shared among various parties. Although some locals still stuck with individual candidates for the benefits they would receive, this group of people accounted for only 40% of voters, he said.

There is also still room for other candidates, particularly former TRT politicians, to win. Those politicians have often cited their past achievements under the Thaksin administration, he said.

Neramit Kitraksa, a social science lecturer at Rajabhat Chiang Rai University, said the atmosphere of the election campaign in the province was quiet.

Most villagers did not have much information about candidates, particularly some of the new faces, and the political scene seemed to benefit the more well-known candidates who had run in elections in the past.

PPP deputy leader Yongyuth Tiyapairat expressed confidence that the party would be warmly welcomed by northern voters as most candidates were former TRT MPs who worked closely with locals.

However, Therdpong Chai-anand, an adviser to the Democrats, believes the party's policies and the leadership of Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva have given a morale boost to the party in the North. He said he was hopeful that the party would gain more constituency seats in the region than it had done in the past.

The contest in the lower North - comprising Sukhothai, Tak and Kamphaeng Phet - is also fierce.

In Sukhothai, whict has four House seats, the Machimathipataya party is likely to win due to the popularity of Somsak Thepsuthin and his wife Anongwan, who serves as party secretary-general.

Although Mr Somsak was banned from politics for five years, he still wields considerable influence in the province and has a strong network of residents, local politicians and officials.

In Kamphaeng Phet, where five seats are being contested, it appears it will be a two-horse race between the Democrats and PPP.

In the upper North, the majority of residents have said the PPP is their first choice for the party-list vote.

But for constituency seats, people are expected to vote for the candidates they like rather than along party lines.

Although Chiang Mai, with 11 seats, is a political stronghold of the disbanded TRT party and the home province of Mr Thaksin, it will not be easy for the PPP to emulate the TRT and win all the seats.

It could be a tough fight for PPP candidates as they will have to compete with several arch rivals.

Political observers predicted the PPP will win at least 30 of the 50 constituency seats in zone 1, while the Democrats might get seven. Four seats each are expected to go to Chart Thai and Machimathipataya, while Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana may get one seat. The remaining four seats could go any way.

 

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