(Bangkok, 3rd) Thailand’s two main political parties held campaign activities on the 2nd of this month in Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima province respectively, as election rivalry heated up. Pheu Thai Party’s prime ministerial candidate Paetongtarn Shinawatra remained composed despite trailing in polls, while Move Forward Party leader Chaithawat Tulathon vowed to strive for enough seats to form a single-party government.
According to Thai PBS, former prime minister Thaksin’s niece Paetongtarn led her campaign team for a morning run to canvass votes at Lumphini Park in Bangkok, engaging park goers and visitors on issues such as park development, public health, and clean air policies.
Paetongtarn stated that Pheu Thai Party will work to reduce the country’s healthcare expenditures, which currently account for nearly 10% of GDP. She emphasized that treatment should be the final stage of the medical system, and that prevention measures like exercise and a healthy lifestyle are key to effectively lowering disease incidence.
She said that if Pheu Thai governs after the election, the party will continue to advance the Clean Air Bill and related legislation, which are still being considered in the Senate.
Regarding recent polls showing her trailing rival candidates, Paetongtarn said she is not worried. She pointed out that feedback from grassroots voters shows that as the campaign progresses, confidence in Pheu Thai is gradually recovering, adding that the party still has time to clearly articulate its policies and vision.
According to a National Institute of Development Administration poll conducted last December among Bangkok voters, Paetongtarn ranked ninth out of ten potential prime ministerial candidates, while Chaithawat, caretaker prime minister Anutin, and former prime minister Abhisit ranked in the top three.
Meanwhile, in Nakhon Ratchasima, Move Forward Party leader Chaithawat received a warm welcome wherever he campaigned. He noted that after this election, the Senate will no longer have the power to select the prime minister, and expressed confidence that Move Forward could form a single-party government after the election.
"If Move Forward wins a landslide, we will form a government; if we fail to fulfill our promise, voters can punish us at the ballot box in four years. That is the beauty of democracy," he said.
Move Forward, formerly known as the Future Forward Party, won the most seats in the 2023 general election but failed to form a government because the Senate opposed their leader Pita Limjaroenrat becoming prime minister. Afterwards, Pheu Thai formed a government with other parties.
Paetongtarn also said that as long as policy directions align, Pheu Thai is open to cooperating with any party. The Bangkok Post noted that Pheu Thai’s choice of Paetongtarn as its prime ministerial candidate shows the party has yet to completely move beyond the influence of the Thaksin political family.