Democrats leading Thai elections: Poll

Democrats leading Thai elections: Poll

BANGKOK (AFP): The Democrat Party of former premier Chuan Leekpai is likely to win the greatest number of seats in Thailand's general elections on Nov. 17, according to a poll released yesterday.

A national poll carried out by The Nation newspaper showed Chuan's Democrats running 10 seats ahead of the New Aspiration Party (NAP) of Chaowalit Yongchaiyudh, defense minister and deputy premier in the outgoing government.

The poll of 71,057 voters across the country indicated the Democrats would take 132 seats in the next election, trailed by NAP with 122 and the Chart Pattana Party of former premier Chatichai Choonhavan with 51.

Outgoing premier Banharn Silpa-archa's Chart Thai Party fell way behind with 36 projected seats -- largely due to wide-scale defections to the NAP and other parties following the dissolution of parliament in September.

In Bangkok, the Democrats were shown to be far ahead of the rest of the pack, and projected to pick up 26 of the capital's 37 seats in the 393-seat parliament. Chaowalit's NAP was projected to win no seats in Bangkok.

Chuan and Chaowalit -- widely seen as the most likely choices for premier -- have power bases on opposite ends of the country, and pundits are predicting that it will be Bangkok voters who decide the balance in Sunday's elections.

The Democrats have an apparently unassailable lead in the south, where they are expected to win 49 seats compared with the NAP's three, while Chaowalit's party remains deeply entrenched in the northeast.

The Nation's projections showed the NAP picking up 64 seats in the hotly contested northeast, with the Democrats winning 19. The NAP was also leading in the north, beating out the Democrats 24 seats to 19.

According to the poll, none of the parties in what are to be Thailand's second elections in 16 months will have anything approaching a majority and will be forced to bring other parties on board to form a coalition.

Some 2,310 candidates from 15 parties are contesting Sunday's elections.