Chadchart remains favourite for second term: NIDA poll chief

Incumbent Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt remains popular among city residents and has a good chance of winning a second term in the gubernatorial election on June 28, said Assistant Professor Suvicha Pouaree, director of the opinion poll centre at the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA).

He said NIDA Poll had conducted an opinion survey on how people in the city view the governor’s performance across a broad spectrum of issues during his four years in office.

He also said the survey showed that Chadchart had performed well on all the issues polled, with the exception of corruption and bread-and-butter concerns.

He added that the governor had not achieved anything particularly outstanding during his four years in office, although he had performed well in addressing problems such as garbage disposal, flooding, road improvements and public parks.

Suvicha admitted that the governor has several weak points, noting that the focus of his forthcoming election campaign must differ from that of his first campaign.

Commenting on Chadchart’s challenger from the People's Party, Chaiwat Sathawornwichit, Suvicha said that although the party is popular among Bangkok residents, as shown in this year’s general election, voters tend to vote differently in gubernatorial elections.

He cited the case of Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, the People’s Party candidate in the last Bangkok gubernatorial election, noting that he won only about 200,000 votes, compared with the 1.3 million secured by Chadchart, who ran as an independent.

To win over city voters, the NIDA Poll Centre director stressed that candidates must conduct regular on-site visits to connect with residents and become household names, a process that can take between six months and a year.

He said candidates must also rely on the support of city councillors, adding, however, that Chaiwat has an impressive profile but is not yet well known among Bangkok residents.

Besides Chaiwat from the People’s Party, Suvicha said he is waiting for the Democrat Party to reveal its candidate and whether it will be a major surprise.