FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Real-estate tycoon Srettha top choice as next PM among Thai CEOs: survey

Real-estate tycoon Srettha top choice as next PM among Thai CEOs: survey

Most business leaders in Thailand want to see Srettha Thavisin, president of real-estate developer Sansiri, as the next prime minister, a recent survey conducted by Krungthep Thurakij newspaper shows.

The survey, conducted from November 16 to 20, covered more than 500 CEOs from different industries like production, agriculture, energy, property, export, finance, retail, digital, service and tourism.

More than half of them (58.2%) chose Sretta, who is also Pheu Thai Party’s PM candidate, followed by Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat (10.5%) and chief of the Pheu Thai Family project Paetongtarn Shinawatra (7.7%).

Sang Anakhot Thai Party leader Somkid Jatusripitak and PM Prayut Chan-o-cha received 6.5% and 6.1% votes respectively.

Meanwhile, 59.5% of CEOs want the next ruling party to be Pheu Thai, followed by Move Forward (15.6%), Bhumjaithai (5.8%), Palang Pracharath (4.1%) and Sang Anakhot Thai (3.5%).

The issue most CEOs want the government to focus on is the economy (90.1%), followed by poverty and inequality (58.7%), improvement in laws related to the digital economy (45.2%), drawing foreign investment (44.2%) and developing infrastructure (39.3%).

Thai Chamber of Commerce chairman Sanan Angubolkul said Thailand is getting ready for the next general elections as the government’s term will come to an end in March next year.

He expects anti-government rallies but does not believe they will lead to violence.

"The next premier must focus on the economy and people’s livelihoods as a priority,” he said. "Also, the next prime minister should maintain government stability for the benefit of the country and gain confidence among investors."

He also urged the government to follow up on deals made during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit, such as the Asia-Pacific free-trade agreement, to ensure they benefit the country and the region.

“The private sector, meanwhile, should seek opportunities to expand trade and investment,” he added.

Thai National Shippers' Council chairman Chaichan Charoensuk said he expects Thailand’s export industry to run smoothly despite political tensions.

However, like Sanan, he also urged the government to adopt agreements made at the Apec Summit as soon as possible, especially promoting the bio-circular-green (BCG) economy model in both the short and long term.

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