Of the nine provinces in which former PM Thaksin campaigned for local election candidates, as an ‘assistant to the MP’, his Pheu Thai Party lost in four in yesterday’s polls, raising questions about over how much political influence he still has.
Some political observers believe that the Pheu Thai party, of which has his daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, is the leader, may need to revise its strategy if it hopes to win in the next general election.
Thaksin had campaigned vigorously prior to the election of Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO) chiefs in nine provinces, some of which he visited twice.
Unofficial vote counts show that Pheu Thai won in Lampang, Nakhon Phanom, Nong Khai, Chiang Mai and Maha Sarakham, but lost in Bueng Kan, Si Sa Ket, Chiang Rai and Lamphun.
Asst. Prof. Weera Wongsatjachock PhD, a lecturer at Naresuan University’s Social Sciences Faculty, said that the unofficial results of the PAO elections clearly show that Thaksin’s political influence has waned.
Even the victories in the provinces he in which he campaigned, the winning margins were not large. For example, in Chiang Mai, the Pheu Thai candidate won by only about 20,000 votes, according to Weera.
Chiang Mai has been Pheu Thai’s political stronghold and is Thaksin’s native province.
Weera said the party may need to reassess its strategies prior to the next election and decide whether to involve Thaksin in its campaigning.
