Election win Pheu Thai gnaws at Democrats
It rarely happens, but party leader Abhisit of the country's oldest political party, now in the opposition, has admitted that Democrats need an examination of their conscience.
On his Blue Sky Channel talk show yesterday, he said that numerous supporters have told him that the party needs to change many things. "I want to emphasize that I have heard them all and will try to improve everything."
Abhisit thus responded to the strong election victory of government party Pheu Thai, Sunday in the governor elections in Bangkok. Pheu Thai scored 10 percent more voters than 4 years ago, the Democrats only 2 percent. Although they won the post for a fourth consecutive election, PT's advance has caused concerns among Democrats.
Pheu Thai has succeeded in consolidating the anti-Democrat vote. The elections were not ordinary. It was more of a referendum, an opportunity for the people of Bangkok to choose sides based on their political preferences in rural areas," said a Democratic MP from Bangkok. But he warns: "Sukhumbhand cannot afford any mistakes in his second term as that would erode the party's popularity both in the capital and nationwide."
Secretary-General Chalermchai Sri-on says voters chose Sukhumbhand out of loyalty to the party. Chalermchai was the only one to oppose Sukhumbhand's candidacy during the selection process because he was unimpressed with his performance. He then supported Korn Chatikavanij, finance minister in the former Abhisit cabinet and now deputy party leader. Chalermchai was conspicuously absent during the election campaign; reason why some party members are urging his resignation.
In a week or two, the party will announce who will be appointed deputy governor. In the running are campaign director Ong-art Klampaibul and two former deputy governors.
[Explanation: Sukbhumbhand actually owes his re-election to blackmail. He threatened to run as an independent candidate if he was not nominated by his party. The Democrats were afraid to take that risk for fear of losing votes. Sukhumbhand even started campaigning before he was nominated. Chalermchai was the only one who said aloud what others thought but were afraid to say, namely that Sukhumbhand was not the most ideal candidate.]
(Source: Bangkok Post, March 5, 2013)
Everyone thought that the pro Thaksin candidate would win, it didn't happen, elections won again by party Abbesit.
@ Anno That image was created by the opinion polls, which, with the exception of the Dusit poll, put Pongsapat (Pheu Thai) ahead. However, the results of the past three gubernatorial elections, as well as municipal and district council elections, indicate that Bangkok is a strong Democratic stronghold. So I can't repeat that 'everyone' thought Pongsapat would win. Some may have thought so, but certainly not everyone.
The great thing is that the Democrats are scratching their heads at how the PTP gained so much from it. Sukumbhand now really needs to DO something about the problems plaguing this city, because let's face it, in the past 4 years BKK has not even undergone a minimal transformation into a livable city with more greenery, pedestrian and cyclist zones, more parks , tackling the many scams aimed at tourists, cleaning up the police force. If Sukumbhand continues to sit on its own for the next 4 years, the city will be PTP in 4 years.