Survey tips tight poll result
Democrats, Puea Thai to go 'neck and neck'
Bangkok Post
Published: 4/04/2011
The ruling Democrat Party and the opposition Puea Thai Party could go neck and neck in the upcoming general election, according to latest Abac Poll.
And a surprise thrown up by the poll has Puea Thai well overtaking the Democrats in Bangkok.
However, the majority of respondents either remain undecided about which party they will vote for, or claim they will vote "no", said Noppadol Kannikar, director of Abac poll at the Assumption University.
The poll , which surveyed 5,212 people in Bangkok and 16 other provinces in all regions between March 25 and April 2, reported 26.4% of the respondents would vote for the Democrat Party in the upcoming election, while 25.5% said they would back Puea Thai. About 15.4% said they would vote for other parties.
However, 32.7% said they would vote for any available party, but were looking for a better choice.
Mr Noppadol said the survey showed the two major parties' popularity was almost equal and they were likely to be in a close race in the election.
In Bangkok, Puea Thai's popularity has increased significantly, with 33% of respondents in the capital backing the party, against 21% who said they would vote Democrat.
In the Northeastern Puea Thai stronghold, the opposition is currently polling twice as much as the Democrats, with 33.2% saying they will Puea Thai and only 16.6% supporting the leading party. Another 20.8% said they would vote for other parties.
In the Central Plains, 22.5% said they would vote for the Democrats and 16.3% favoured Puea Thai. A further 14.2% backed other parties.
In the North, 29.7% claimed they would vote for Puea Thai, while 24.6% backed the Democrats.
The biggest show of support for either side was seen in the South, where a giant 71.5% indicated backing for the Democrats. Only 3% said they would vote Puea Thai.
Mr Noppadol said the survey results suggested Puea Thai would beat the Democrats in Bangkok and in the Northeast, while the ruling party's stronghold in the South remained solid and the Democrats would gain more support in the Central region.
There would be a fierce race between the two major parties in the North, said the pollster, adding the Democrats' chance to win votes in this region looked better than in the Northeast, which is a traditional Puea Thai support base.
But the high number of undecided voters would be a crucial factor in determining the outcome of the election, should they cast their ballots, he said.
The poll also reflected that the policies implemented by the Democrat-led government had not fully captured the hearts of low-earning people, he said.
The survey found 27.2% of respondents earning less than 5,000 baht a month would vote for Puea Thai and 24.3% would support the Democrats, said Mr Noppadol.
The Democrats gained more support than Puea Thai from respondents with higher incomes, he added.
Meanwhile, the National Reform Assembly will submit a list of reform issues to political parties to use during the election campaign.
Somsak Chunharassmi, secretary to the assembly, said the assembly would meet on April 20 to discuss all reform-related issues and decide which issues should be raised with political parties as the election nears.
Relevant issues would be proposed to all political parties for use during the election campaign, he said.
Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/230156/survey-tips-tight-poll-result
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