The Pheu Thai Party is considering revising its election campaign strategy over concerns that pledges made by the party's de facto leader, Thaksin Shinawatra, at a recent campaign rally risk being treated as a violation of election laws, said Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong on Friday.
The Pheu Thai-led coalition government's policies in electioneering for the provincial administration organisation (PAO) polls are of particular concern, he said, adding that the party is discussing the matter and trying to find a solution.
He was responding to an Election Commission (EC) remark about a recent campaign speech delivered by Thaksin in Chiang Rai about his expectation that the government will bring down household electricity costs to 3.70 baht per unit this year from well over 4 baht per unit at present.
Refusing to rule for now whether such a promise by Thaksin is against election laws, EC chairman Ittiporn Boonpracong said a further examination would possibly be required before the EC can actually say whether that was against the law or not.
Any references to the government's policies which are justifiable are allowed while irrelevant references are not, he said, responding to questions about whether such a promise by Thaksin violates election laws by promising voters something in return for their support.
Basically, under election law, election campaigns which don't involve slander or lies should be fine, he said.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is already aware of the risk and will potentially talk to Thaksin, her father, about the need for Pheu Thai to adjust its election campaigning strategy, said Mr Sorawong, in his capacity as party secretary-general.
Thaksin is Pheu Thai's magnet for support from voters, considering the party's 100% victories in previous local elections, said Pheu Thai list MP Anusorn Iamsa-ard, adding Thaksin will definitely be helping the party out with electioneering.
Woravat Auapinyakul, a Pheu Thai MP for Phrae, also said he didn't see anything wrong in Thaksin's mentioning of electricity prices in his speech.
What Thaksin actually spoke about -- in a northern dialect to voters in Chiang Rai -- on Jan 5 was that he had managed to find a way to lower energy prices to help cut living costs, which should not be interpreted as him claiming to have the power to order anyone to lower electricity prices, according to Mr Woravat.
That was good advice from a former premier, and it would be unfair to find fault with it, he said.
Former EC boss Somchai Srisutthiyakorn warned earlier that a candidate in a Senate election was disqualified in August 2014 and banned from running in an election for five years for falsely claiming he would lower petrol prices to 20 baht per litre and freeze prices of cooking gas and natural gas for vehicles.