Poll respondents reject pro-Prayut parties
MOST PEOPLE disagree with the idea of new political parties being formed to support General Prayut Chan-o-cha returning as prime minister after the next election, an opinion survey has found.
Almost 59 per cent of respondents said they disagreed with setting up a new political party just to support Prayut. They agreed that political parties should be established with the goal of serving the public and developing the country, not to back anyone in particular or help someone retain political power.
However, as many as 35.4 per cent of respondents said they agreed with the idea, adding that it was up to new political parties to decide who they supported, and they had the right to do so in offering themselves as alternatives for voters.
The survey was conducted by Suan Dusit University involving 1,185 people throughout the country between Wednesday to Saturday.
As many as 57.3 per cent of respondents said they would not vote for a political party simply because it was new. But 42.7 per cent said they would choose a new political party that they viewed as a fresh alternative.
Prominent political figures Suthep Thaugsuban and Paiboon Nititawan recently announced plans to form new parties in support of Prayut, who heads the post-coup government and ruling junta. Another pro-military party is also reportedly in the making for the same purpose.
A junta order issued in December allows new parties to be registered and start political activities on March 1.
Meanwhile, many people believe Prayut has performed worse in many areas than a year ago, according to the results of a survey by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida).
The latest Nida Poll found that after having been in power for three years and six months, the prime minister is seen to be performing worse than a year ago.
A total of 71.6 per cent of respondents said Prayut was working according to principles, compared to 82.4 per cent when a similar survey was conducted in February last year.
In terms of decisiveness, 68.5 per cent said Prayut had that quality, down from 84.5 per cent a year ago. Regarding transparency, Prayut had 55.3-per-cent support, compared to 67.4 per cent a year earlier.
Regarding leadership personality, 76.6 per cent of those surveyed said Prayut was running the country like a military leader, up from 65.4 per cent a year ago. Another 14.8 per cent viewed him as a democratic leader, down from 17 per cent from a year earlier.
The Nida poll was conducted with 1,250 people aged 18 and above in all regions of the country from last Monday to Wednesday.