Prayut still top choice for PM, poll finds
Public opinion has again named General Prayut Chan-o-cha as the most popular choice to be prime minister after the next election – but there’s doubt the political party linked to him will be a winner – according to a new poll.
In the Nida Poll results released on Sunday, 28.8 per cent of respondents picked the Pheu Thai Party to win the election now scheduled for February 24.
Most respondents have no faith that date will be honoured, however. Nearly 53 per cent said they expected another postponement. More than 45 per cent said they trusted the government on the schedule. That left 2.1 per cent unsure.
The Palang Pracharat Party, which plans to nominate Prayut as its prime ministerial candidate, finished second with 20.6 per cent support among poll respondents.
It was followed by the Democrat Party (19.6 per cent), Future Forward Party (15.5) and Seri Ruam Thai Party (4.2).
Nida (the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida) polled 1,251 eligible voters age 18 and up in all regions of the country last Monday and Tuesday (September 17-18).
Prime Minister Prayut was the top choice to lead the post-election government, garnering 29.7 per cent of support from the respondents, it found.
Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, a leading candidate to become the next Pheu Thai Party leader, was second with 17.5 per cent of support.
She was followed by Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit of the new party Future Forward (13.8 per cent), the Democrat Party’s Abhisit Vejjajiva (10.7), Seri Ruam Thai’s Seripisut Temiyavej and Pheu Thai’s Wirode Pao-in.
In three prior Nida surveys, Prayut always came first among the same group of possible candidates.