Thai Opposition To Win Majority Of Seats In May Election

With three weeks to go until the May 14 general election in Thailand, the country's opposition parties have maintained their lead in two nationwide opinion polls released this week. A total of 500 seats in the lower house are up for grabs in the upcoming vote, Francesca Regalado reported for Nikkei Asia.

Photo Insert: Populist policies enacted by previous Pheu Thai governments have won the party voters, especially in the populous northeast, which benefited from subsidies for farmers.

Pheu Thai, the largest opposition group founded by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, held on to the top spot, surveys conducted this month by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) and The Nation news outlet showed.

The NIDA poll, which surveyed 2,000 people from April 3 to 7 and was published on April 16, found that 47.2% favored Pheu Thai, followed by the Move Forward Party at 21.2%. These two parties were the most favored in the previous survey in March by NIDA, receiving 49.75% and 17.4% support, respectively.

Likewise, The Nation poll, which surveyed more than 39,000 people from April 7 to 12 and was released on April 18, recorded 35% support for Pheu Thai and 16% for Move Forward.

Populist policies enacted by previous Pheu Thai governments have won the party voters, especially in the populous northeast, which benefited from subsidies for farmers. In this election, Pheu Thai is proposing a 10,000 baht digital payout for Thais aged 16 and older, a move that rivals have criticized as vote buying.

Pheu Thai is promising to grow the economy by at least 5% each year, a feat unattained by incumbent Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha during his nine years in power.

Move Forward, meanwhile, has pushed the envelope on policies calling for structural reform, including amending Thailand's strict lese-majeste laws that criminalize insulting the monarchy. First-time voters are creating momentum for the Move Forward Party, which enjoyed 50% support from Generation Z voters aged 18 to 25 in the NIDA poll.

Prayuth's new United Thai Nation party received 10.8% approval in the NIDA poll, with other groups in the ruling coalition polling in the single digits. His former Palang Pracharath Party, the pro-military group formed by leaders of the 2014 coup, was at 2.1%.

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