Pol Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen of the Pheu Thai Party continues to be voters' first choice in the March 3 Bangkok governor election, Suan Dusit Poll reported on Thursday.

Pollsters at Suan Dusit Rajabhat University said opinions were sought from 3,410 eligible voters in all 50 districts of Bangkok between Feb 2 and Feb 6, 2013.

Pol Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen (Photo by Pattanapong Hirunard)

Asked which candidate they would vote for on election day, 42.59% chose Pol Gen Pongsapat and 34.31% picked his Democrat rival, former governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra.

Only 6.38%  said they would vote for former national police chief Pol Gen Sereepisut Temeeyaves of the Palang Krungthep (Bangkok Power) group.

The remainder supported other independent candidates, Suharit Siamwalla (0.77%), Kosit Suvinitjit (0.58%), Smith Smithinant (0.12%), and Sanhapoj Suksrimuang (0.06%).

The most popular policy was the promise to ease traffic congestion in Bangkok made by candidate No 9 (Pol Gen Pongsapat), with  22.25%, followed by the drug suppression policy of the No 9 candidate (22.01%).

The flood prevention policy of No 16 candidate (MR Sukhumbhand) was third, supported by 21.29% of the respondents, and the policy to lower the high cost of living of the No 9 candidate was fourth (19.14%), with the policy on allowance payments for elderly people of the No 16 candidate was ranked fifth (15.31%).

Questioned about policies that could actual materialise, 25.78% of the polled people said drug suppression (of the No 9 candidate), 25.06% of them pointed to remedies for high living costs (of No 9), 18.55% chose the building of six giant flood tunnels (of No 16), 15.42% backed the policy to keep Bangkok clean (of No 9), and 15.19% supported the electric train routes extension plan (of No 16).

On policies that respondents thought were not realistic, or very difficult to put into effect, 58.72% said solving traffic congestion (of No 9), 17.44% pointed to flood prevention (of No 16), 9.93% said free bus and boat rides (of No 9), 7.73% said economic stability (of No 9), and 6.18% said security and installing more CCTV cameras (of No 16).

The Bangkok Election Countdown clock is available.

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