BANGKOK - As the Pheu Thai Party remains silent on its choie of candidate to run for city governor, the rival Democrats launched a focussed campaign to retain their political hold on the capital city on Friday.
The Democrats opened an election command centre at the party headquarters and trumpeted the slogan "Let's build Bangkok together".
The party's strategy is to convince voters to re-elect Sukhumbhand Paribatra for a second term as Bangkok governor, so that he can continue work already in place to improve the capital.
"I know I can make it, because I love Bangkok," his team posted on Twitter message on his behalf on Friday.
From left: Ong-Art Klampaibul, MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra, Abhisit Vejjajiva and Apirak Kosayodhin (Photo by Apichit Jinakul)
MR Sukhumbhand will be aided by key party figures including Apirak Kosayodhin, who is the main strategist, Ong-art Klampaibul, who oversees the command centre. Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva will oversee the whole operation.
Pheu Thai is expected to soon announce Pongsapat Pongcharoen, a deputy police chief and secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, will represent the party in the contest.
Its executive committee will settle on the selection of its candidate on Jan 13, and officially announce its decision soon after.
A former key figure of the dissolved Thai Rak Thai party, Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan has been strongly supported by Pheu Thai Bangkok MPs as a candidate, but has said she will not run for the post.
With Pheu Thai still not committed, the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) has given itself a role in the gubernatorial election.
The UDD would set up a team of red-shirts to monitor the election, tentatively scheduled for March 3, to ensure a fair and transparent poll, chairwoman Tida Tawornseth said at a press conference at Imperial Lat Phrao Shopping Centre on Friday.
The team would be responsible for monitoring the election to prevent any possible fraud, just as the UDD had done in the July 2011 general election, she said.
About 10,000 red-shirt volunteers would be required for this job, she added. Bangkok's 50 districts would be divided into 10 zones, with 1,000 volunteers needed in each zone.
The UDD call for applications for red-shirt volunteers this month, with training programmes for selected volunteers provided in February so that they would be ready in early March, Mrs Tida said.
She insisted that the red-shirt group would support the Pheu Thai nominee, whomsoever that may be.
Another candidates likely to contest the election is former national police chief Pol Gen Seripisut Taemeeyaves. He declared several months ago that he would run for the position, hoping to gain support from police officers.