Democrats leading Thai elections: Poll<\/p>\n
BANGKOK (AFP): The Democrat Party of former premier Chuan
\nLeekpai is likely to win the greatest number of seats in
\nThailand's general elections on Nov. 17, according to a poll
\nreleased yesterday.<\/p>\n
A national poll carried out by The Nation newspaper showed
\nChuan's Democrats running 10 seats ahead of the New Aspiration
\nParty (NAP) of Chaowalit Yongchaiyudh, defense minister and
\ndeputy premier in the outgoing government.<\/p>\n
The poll of 71,057 voters across the country indicated the
\nDemocrats would take 132 seats in the next election, trailed by
\nNAP with 122 and the Chart Pattana Party of former premier
\nChatichai Choonhavan with 51.<\/p>\n
Outgoing premier Banharn Silpa-archa's Chart Thai Party fell
\nway behind with 36 projected seats -- largely due to wide-scale
\ndefections to the NAP and other parties following the dissolution
\nof parliament in September.<\/p>\n
In Bangkok, the Democrats were shown to be far ahead of the
\nrest of the pack, and projected to pick up 26 of the capital's 37
\nseats in the 393-seat parliament. Chaowalit's NAP was projected
\nto win no seats in Bangkok.<\/p>\n
Chuan and Chaowalit -- widely seen as the most likely choices
\nfor premier -- have power bases on opposite ends of the country,
\nand pundits are predicting that it will be Bangkok voters who
\ndecide the balance in Sunday's elections.<\/p>\n
The Democrats have an apparently unassailable lead in the
\nsouth, where they are expected to win 49 seats compared with the
\nNAP's three, while Chaowalit's party remains deeply entrenched in
\nthe northeast.<\/p>\n
The Nation's projections showed the NAP picking up 64 seats in
\nthe hotly contested northeast, with the Democrats winning 19. The
\nNAP was also leading in the north, beating out the Democrats 24
\nseats to 19.<\/p>\n
According to the poll, none of the parties in what are to be
\nThailand's second elections in 16 months will have anything
\napproaching a majority and will be forced to bring other parties
\non board to form a coalition.<\/p>\n
Some 2,310 candidates from 15 parties are contesting Sunday's
\nelections.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/democrats-leading-thai-elections-poll-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}