Bloomberg reported on the 26th that the latest poll conducted by the National Institute of Development Management of Thailand from June 20 to 23 showed that Pethonthan, the youngest daughter of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra , became the most optimistic candidate for prime minister among the Thai people, supporting The rate reaches 25%.
Pethonthan information map source: Thai media
Pethonthan was born in 1986. In addition to serving as a shareholder of the family business, he also became the leader of the Thaksin faction Pheu Thai Party in March this year, and in subsequent years Yue made a high-profile appearance. The latest polls show that the Pheu Thai Party's support rate has reached 36%, ranking first among all political parties. In contrast, the approval rating of Thailand's current Prime Minister and former military leader Prayuth Chan-ocha has declined for four consecutive quarters and is currently less than 12%. At a time when the Prayuth government is facing tremendous pressure from public dissatisfaction, Thailand's economy has been struggling to recover from the impact of the epidemic. Prayut himself and 10 cabinet members will face the test of a no-confidence vote in parliament next month.
Thailand's "Bangkok Post" stated that in this survey that tested the popularity of prime minister candidates, Pethontan was significantly ahead of all competitors. It is worth noting that compared with the poll conducted in March, Petuntin jumped from third place to the front-runner, while the number of people who believed that "there is no suitable choice for prime minister" dropped from 28% in March to 28% in June. 19%. The reasons why people support Pethontan include: they hope that the country will be run by a new generation of young leaders, they agree with the policies of the Pheu Thai Party, and the past achievements of the Thaksin family.
Agence France-Presse believes that during Thaksin's tenure as prime minister, Thailand's economic growth momentum was good, and Thaksin himself won the support of the lower classes of society, especially rural people. Thaksin's sister Yingluck Shinawatra also became the Prime Minister of Thailand by winning the election after Thaksin was overthrown by the coup. Currently, Thaksin's brother and sister are in exile abroad. Thaksin is in the United Arab Emirates, and Yingluck is believed to be in the United Kingdom. Despite this, the influence of the Thaksin family on Thai politics cannot be underestimated.
Petuntin inherited her father's charm. As a new generation of political figures, she has 500,000 fans on Instagram social media. Petontan knows how to use the public's support for his father to attract fans, and his father Thaksin often appears on his social media. Petontin made it clear that she was proud of her father and that she would always be his "little girl."
Since becoming the leader of the Pheu Thai Party, Pethonthan has been making a high-profile appearance, participating in the Bangkok mayoral election campaign, and actively canvassing votes for Pheu Thai Party candidates. She also served as the person in charge of the "Family for Thai" campaign within the party, which increased the number of members of the Thai Party from the current 8 million to 14 million. Pethontan vowed to win the next Thai general election. According to Thailand's "The Nation" report, Thailand's general election will be held in March next year, when Prayuth Chan-ocha's term as prime minister will expire.
However, Pethontan and the Pheu Thai Party still face huge obstacles if they want to successfully govern. Although the poll situation is very optimistic, it is not easy for the Pheu Thai Party to return to power after eight years because the political situation is very different. In addition to the current Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the leader of the Progress Party, Phi Theta, is also a strong opponent of Pethon Than. Since the legalization of marijuana, the support rate of the Progress Party has experienced a surge, and it has now become the biggest opponent of the Pheu Thai Party.
According to reporters’ observations, Thailand’s economy has been relatively weak in the eight years since Prayuth Chan-ocha has been in power. Especially since the epidemic, there has been no significant progress in economic recovery. The Prayuth government’s economic governance capabilities have been questioned, coupled with the “coup to seize power” and “ignorance of the student movement” " and other operations have caused bad public opinion, and Thai people generally have a desire for change. In the era of Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra, Thailand had a prosperous economy and social stability, and the people, especially the people at the bottom, had a natural good impression of the Thaksin family. This was one of the important reasons why Pethontan led the polls and participated in the general election with a high profile.
Global Times Special Correspondent in Thailand Huang Xiaona Global Times Special Correspondent Zhen Xiang
