Poll: Pheu Thai supreme in Isan

Poll: Pheu Thai supreme in Isan

Pheu Thai has a huge lead over the other parties according to the latest survey of voters in the northeastern region by Khon University pollsters. (Photo by Tawatchai Kemgumnerd)
Pheu Thai has a huge lead over the other parties according to the latest survey of voters in the northeastern region by Khon University pollsters. (Photo by Tawatchai Kemgumnerd)

Pheu Thai has a commanding lead in the northeastern region in the run up to the polls, far ahead of Palang Pracharath, the party that supports Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's return to power after the election, according to the latest Khon Kaen University opinion survey.

Pheu Thai had a 44.8% endorsement by respondents in the survey by the  E-Saan Center for Business and Economic Research released on Wednesday.

Future Forward was the surprising second favourite with 21.2% support, followed by Thai Raksa Chart (TRC) with 7.5%.

Palang Pracharath, which claims to have strong backing for the March 24 general election, was slightly behind TRC with 7.4%, ahead of Bhumjaithai, 6.1%, and the Democrat Party with only 3.9%.

About 9% of the respondents were undecided about which party they would cast their votes for. 

The E-Saan Center surveyed 1,108 people aged 18 years or more in 20 of the 23 provinces in the region from Feb 9-10.  About 40% were farmers and 35% of respondents earned between 5,000 and 10,000 baht a month.

Poverty was the top issue respondents wanted political parties to tackle, followed by the widening economic gap between the Northeast and other regions.

"The survey aimed  to find out which party northeastern voters will support in the election on March 24," the lead pollster, Suthin Wianwiwat, said in the accompanying statement.

The northeastern region has 116 seats for grabs in the general election, the largest of all regions.

The region is a traditional strong base of Pheu Thai, which won most seats in the general election in 2011 through the popularity of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and its rice-pledging policy, which wooed voter support for his sister and party leader Yingluck, who became prime minister.


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