Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra described today the Pheu Thai party’s winning of PAO mayoral elections in 10 provinces on Saturday, out of the 16 in which they fielded candidates, as “quite good”.
As party leader, she said that they will analyse the election results to assess the party’s strengths and weaknesses, so that improvements can be made before the next general election.
Commenting on the party’s defeats in Chiang Rai and Lamphun provinces, said admitted that it was “a pity.”
Asked about her father, former prime minister Thaksin who helped campaign for the party’s candidates in several provinces, Paetongtarn said that his contribution was worth the effort.
Associate Professor Pichai Rattanadilok, of the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), opined that the Pheu Thai party’s losses in several provinces, including five major ones, was a clear indication that Thaksin’s popularity and influence have waned.
Even in Chiang Mai, which is the home province of Thaksin, he said the party had only garnered as many votes as it did four years ago, which shows that his campaign in the provinces failed to increase votes for the party’s candidates, said Pichai, adding that the party also lost in Chiang Rai and Si Sa Ket.
On the other hand, Associate Professor Yutthaporn Issarachai of the University of Sukhothai Thammathirat, said that Pheu Thai’s performance on Saturday was not an indicator that Thaksin has lost all its political magic and that the PAO election results are not a predetermination of the results in a general election, because local and national elections are different.
He added, however, that Pheu Thai must do its homework, to work out what went wrong in the provinces where the party used to dominate.
Although the Bhumjaithai party did not field any candidates under the party banner in the local elections, candidates who are closely linked with the party won nine seats, followed by 3 seats for the United Thai Nation party, 2 seats each for Chart Thai Pattana and Prachachart, one seat each for Kla Tham and People’s party. The rest of the seats were won by independent candidates.
