Pongsapat still leading in latest poll

Pongsapat still leading in latest poll

Pol Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen of the Pheu Thai Party is still ahead of MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra of the opposition Democrat Party in terms of popularity in the latest opinion survey by Abac Poll.

The poll was carried out on 1,673 eligible voters in Bangkok between Jan 31 and Feb 2.

Pol Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen (Post photo)

Asked who they would vote for if an election of the Bangkok governor was held today, 43.1% were for Pol Gen Pongsapat, compared to 41.8% in the previous poll after the registration of candidates and 32.1% before that.

MR Sukhumbhand's popularity dropped to 33.1% in the fresh poll from 37.6% in the previous poll.

A majority of the respondents said the news of a conflict between the government and the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) over an amnesty law, constitutional amendment, amnesty for prisoners and the Preah Vihear temple dispute would have no effect on the March 3 Bangkok governor election.

On what they wanted the new governor to do concerning facilities to improve the quality of life, 

32.9% wanted to see more public parks, 18% sought sports centres, 17% opted for occupational training centres, 8.5% wanted recreational centres and 7.2% picked public libraries.

Another survey conducted by Suan Dusit Poll shows that a majority of eligible voters believe policies outlined by individual Bangkok governor candidates are a major factor that can lead them to change their mind about who to vote for in the March 3 gubernatorial election, according to Suan Dusit Poll.

The poll was conducted on 1,250 eligible voters in all 50 districts of Bangkok between Jan 28 and Feb 2.

Asked what can make them change their mind about a candidate they originally intended to vote for to another, the majority or 61.04% pointed to policies which can be actually implemented, 17.6% to acceptability of the candidate, 12.35% to their personalities and credibility and 5.24% to their background record. 

A majority, or 59.54%, of the respondents saw no differences in the campaign trend between the last and coming elections because the race is still between two major political parties, while 40.46% were of the opinion that most of the candidates are capable persons from various walks of life who are campaigning more on the social media.

On news coverage of the Bangkok governor election by television and radio stations and newspapers, 38.36% of the respondents said they were not impartial, biased against or favouring certain candidates, 31.48% said they tended to exaggerate the news to pit candidates against one another, and 30.16% said most of the news is one-sided.

Pol Gen Pongsapat said while campaigning in Bangkok's Min Buri district on Sunday that if he is elected, motorcycle taxi drivers in the capital will get paid to help officials and be the eyes and ears of their communities.

MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra (Post photo)

The former secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board said motorcycle taxi drivers knew almost every problem in their communities, including crime and drugs.

"I believe the motorcycle taxi drivers can work as volunteers. They would receive allowances and help officials oversee different areas.

"If I'm elected, I'll make sure that the Bangkok communities will have free motorcycle parking spaces and free energy drinks for the motorcycle taxi drivers," Pol Gen Pongsapat said.

The former deputy national police chief said he also planned to have exclusive motorcycle lanes across the capital.

Meanwhile, MR Sukhumbhand said he would continue building more facilities and infrastructures to help the elderly in the capital, if re-elected.

"If I'm re-elected, there'll be more ramps, elevators at sky-train stations and traffic signals for the elderly and disabled people," the former governor said.

MR Sukhumbhand said he planned to build more hospitals for the elderly in the capital to provide comprehensive health services for ageing people. He launched the Bang Khun Thien Hospital for the Aged project when he was governor.

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