Democrat Party hopes Madam Dear’s sparkle will help win Rayong by-election

Watanya, who oversees the party’s political innovations strategy for Bangkok, arrived in Klaeng district on Saturday morning and immediately began promoting Dr Banyat Jetanachan, Democrat candidate for Rayong’s Constituency 3.

She and her team got on a convoy heading from Klaeng Hospital to Sam Yan market and began promising locals that they would have a chance to change their future in just 14 days.

Watanya said voters should “consider the candidate, and not the party”, as Banyat is a local who is ready to serve his hometown. His achievements as a three-time Rayong MP should serve as evidence of his commitment, she added.

“If the party is the brand, then its candidates are the products, and we have the best after-sales service policy that caters to users’ needs,” she said.

Apart from her political duties, Watanya is also known for her job as manager of the Thailand national under-21 and under-23 football teams.

The Election Commission (EC) scheduled a by-election for the constituency to replace Nakhonchai Khunnarong, a Move Forward MP who resigned after it was found that he had spent a year and a half in jail for theft in 1999.

The Constitution stipulates that MP candidates should never have served a jail sentence.

Only candidates from Democrat and Move Forward parties are competing in this by-election. Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat and his team showed up in Rayong earlier this month to promote the party’s new candidate Phongsathorn Sornphetnarin.

Move Forward, which secured the most MP seats in the May 14 general election, is expected to win by a landslide in the by-election.

The Democrat Party, meanwhile, is struggling to find its feet after suffering a humiliating defeat with just 25 seats gained in the May 14 election, compared to 53 in the 2019 election.