Paetongtarn "Ung-Ing" Shinawatra of the Pheu Thai Party leads other candidates for the post of prime minister among voters in the eastern province of Chon Buri, according to the result of a survey by National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll.
Some distance behind were Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha of the United Thai Nation Party and Pita Limjaroenrat of the Move Forward Party.
The poll was conducted on Feb 7-14 by telephone interviews with 1,100 eligible voters aged 18 and over of various levels of education, occupations and incomes in Chon Buri.
Chon Buri has 10 seats in the House of Representatives up for grabs in the next election, up from eight in the 2019 poll. In the 2019 election, the Palang Pracharath Party took five seats while the remaining seats went to the since-dissolved Future Forward Party, which has been renamed the Move Forward Party.
Asked which potential candidate they would pick for the post of prime minister, the answers were:
• 31.00% for Ms Paetongtarn of the Pheu Thai Party
• 18.32% for Gen Prayut of the United Thai Nation Party
• 17.36% for Pita Limjaroenrat of the Move Forward Party
• 9.55% said nobody was suitable
• 6.91% for Pol Gen Sereepisuth Temeeyaves of the Seri Ruam Thai Party
• 4.64% for Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan of the Thai Sang Thai Party
• 3.18% for Anutin Charnvirakul of the Bhumjaithai Party
• 2.45% for Korn Chatikavanij of the Chart Pattanakla Party
• 1.73% for Cholnan Srikaew of the Pheu Thai Party
• 1.00% for Gen Prawit Wongsuwon of the Palang Pracharath Party
• The rest – 3.36% combined – chose one of Jurin Laksanawisit (Democrat), Kanchana Silpa-archa (Chartthaipattana), Somkid Jatusripitak (Sang Anakhot Thai), Mingkwan Saengsuwan, Warong Dechgitvigrom (Thai Pakdee), Mongkolkit Suksintaranon (Thai Civilised), Chadchart Sittipunt, Pirapan Salirathavibhaga (United Thai Nation), Abhisit Vejjajiva (Democrat), Chuan Leekpai (Democrat), or did not answer or were not interested.
Asked which party they preferred for MPs in the constituency system, Pheu Thai came first with 38.82%, Move Forward 19.55%, United Thai Nation 16.18%, Seri Ruam Thai 4.73%, still undecided 4.55%, Palang Pracharath 3.82%, Democrat 3.27%, Thai Sang Thai 2.64%, Bhumjaithai 2.55%, Chat Pattanakla 1.09% and 2.80% combined for other parties.
Asked which party they would pick for MPs in the party-list system, Pheu Thai came first with 38.82%, Move Forward 19.55%, United Thai Nation 16.09%, still undecided 5.55%, Seri Ruam Thai 5.00%, Palang Pracharath 3.82%, Democrat 3.27%, Thai Sang Thai 2.45%, Bhumjaithai 2.27%, Chat Pattanakla 1.09% and 2.09% combined for other parties.