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ELECTION SPECIAL Puea Pandin looking to capitalise on weak Democrat campaign
The Puea Pandin party should be the runner-up, while the Democrat party's outlook is dim. The third and fourth clusters have a total of 131 House seats - 101 from constituencies and 20 from the proportional representation vote. Only three provinces in the Northeast are not in zone 3 or 4. Chaiyaphum and Khon Kaen are in zone 2 and Nakhon Ratchasima in zone 5. The Northeast was a major stronghold of TRT. Therefore the PPP, the reincarnation of TRT, can be viewed as the defending champion. The PPP can be expected to win 57 seats, according to analysts. Puea Pandin and Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana are also likely to emerge with seats in the two zones as their executives members, including de facto ones, are former TRT executives. Puea Pandin could take 33 seats, followed by Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattani with 11. The rest will likely be divided between the Chart Thai, Matchimathipataya and Democrat parties. Pracharaj could get one seat from Si Sa Ket. Well aware that large numbers of northeasterners are still staunch supporters of Mr Thaksin because of his popular policies, the PPP has raised the issue of his return to Thailand as its major selling point. "Vote for the PPP to bring Mr Thaksin back" is the PPP's slogan in the region.
This is backed with the ultimatum, "If voters do not support the PPP, Mr Thaksin cannot return to Thailand". The official People Power leader, Samak Sundaravej, is not being promoted in the Northeast because he is actually not well liked in the region. In addition to running on Mr Thaksin's continuing popularity the PPP has a well-established network of canvassers in the Northeast. Puea Pandin is promoting its leader Suvit Khunkitti as its selling point. Mr Suvit is being touted as a native son of Isan who handled the village fund initiative, one of the TRT's core populist policies, when he was a member of the Thaksin cabinet. Admitting to the strong popularity of Mr Thaksin, Puea Pandin tells northeasterners to support the PPP in the proportional representation vote, but to back Puea Pandin candidates in constituency-based elections. Consequently, competition between the two parties is fierce in campaigning for constituency seats. The Democrat party, however, is floundering in the area as its leader Abhisit Vejjajiva has failed to impress rural northeasterners. Mr Abhisit and his party may be the choice of some middle-class people in downtown areas, but the Democrats are not actively campaigning there. For most Isan people, the PPP's battle cry, "Vote for the PPP to bring back Mr Thaksin" is more exciting than Mr Abhisit's "People come first" slogan. And its rivals in the Northeast keep hammering home the message that the Democrats are the party of southerners, not northeasterners. "Mr Thaksin is still very popular as he has laid down concrete policies and the local people place more importance on their immediate interests than on national interests," said Somphan Techa-atik, a social development lecturer at Khon Kaen University. The Democrat party could well be the choice of middle-class residents of downtown areas, but the party had failed to campaign seriously in these constituencies. And unless the Democrats get an unexpected second wind, voters in the region's downtown areas may well choose to tick the no-vote box, Mr Somphan said.
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