MFP rallies in South, tough race in Central
The ruling Palang Pracharath Party is adamant that it will at least retain its 12 House seats in the capital in the next poll, according to PPRP leader Prawit Wongsuwon.
Gen Prawit, accompanied by party executives, observed the PPRP’s Bangkok candidacy registration in the constituency system at the Thai-Japanese stadium in the Din Daeng area yesterday.
Gen Prawit, who is also deputy prime minister, said the party was working to keep the 12 House seats it won in the capital in the 2019 poll.
In the next election on May 14, Bangkok will have 33 constituencies instead of 30 in the previous poll.
Gen Prawit added that in the registration of party list candidacy today, the PPRP hopes to obtain a single-digit candidacy number as it is easy to remember.
He reiterated he would not join other party leaders in an election debate, saying he had no knack as a debater.
MFP eyes Dems’ turf
The Move Forward Party (MFP) is aiming to secure a clean sweep in Nakhon Si Thammarat despite having won no House seat in the Democrat-dominated province in 2019.
The ambitious target was announced by party spokesman Rangsiman Rome who accompanied their candidates for the province on the first day of registration yesterday.
Mr Rangsiman said the party was confident it would make history by winning House seats in all ten constituencies of the southern province.
He said voters believed the time has come for changes in how the country is being run, and the MFP would be the agent of such changes.
He added the MFP was steadfast in its campaign policy to reform the military and abolish conscription in favour of voluntary enlistment.
Mr Rangsiman admitted being a draftee had its advantages as it generates secure and steady income during training with welfare such as free medical treatment extending to spouses and children, who can also benefit from the increased availability of scholarships.
However, he insisted training must be free of the incidents of physical abuse or torture reported in the past.
Protecting stronghold
The Chartthaipattana Party is planning to ramp up its campaign activities in Suphan Buri, as other parties begin to register their election candidates for the Central Plains province.
The poll race is heating up like never before in Suphan Buri — a Chartthaipattana stronghold where the party stood unrivalled in the 2019 elections — with at least ten parties competing for voters’ attention in the political base of the Silpa-archa family this time around.
Despite the competition, Chartthaipattana leader Varawut Silpa-archa said he believed the party would still be able to dominate in the province’s five constituencies.
Chartthaipattana will be ramping up its campaign in the province to protect its turf and hopefully win some more seats in other constituencies, he said, adding the party is aiming to secure at least 25 House seats in order to be able to nominate a prime minister.
Representatives from the ten parties, including Chartthaipattana, went to the Election Commission yesterday to register their candidates.
At the EC, they drew numbers to determine the order in which they will draw another set of numbers, which will determine their candidate number.
Mr Varawut called on the EC to design a voter-friendly party list ballot by making the parties’ logos more prominent on the ballot sheet.
‘Tony’ off the air
The Care Talk x Care ClubHouse online chat programme featuring ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be off the air until after the general election, according to the CARE group.
The group, which comprises veteran politicians with ties to the fugitive premier and the Pheu Thai Party, said on its Facebook page that the programme is a forum to discuss issues facing the Thai public and give suggestions.
However, with the election campaign underway, the group is concerned about the programme being politically exploited and thus have decided to temporarily suspend it. The talk programme will resume on May 16 after the polls.
Thaksin, who goes by the alias “Tony Woodsome”, is a regular guest on the programme.