Orange wave fails to wash ashore in local politics
People’s Party hoping that its candidate for the provincial administrative organisation election in Ratchaburi will fare better
Despite the efforts of Pita Limjaroenrat and Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, former leader of the Move Forward Party and leader of The People's Party, the orange wave failed to make a dent in the provincial administrative organisation (PAO) presidential elections. losing in all five provinces.
The party is now pinning its hopes that the final election in Ratchaburi on September 1 will break the curse and determine if the orange wave can topple the Big House regime.
During Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit’s leadership of the progressive movement, then known as the Future Forward Party, no PAO presidential candidate won in any of the 42 provinces.
With Natthaphong now in charge, it seems the PAOs remain beyond reach for the orange faction.
As of August 18, nine PAO presidential elections had been held, namely in Loei, Nakhon Sawan, Ang Thong, Pathum Thani, Ayutthaya, Chainat, Phayao, Chaiyaphum, and Phitsanulok with the Big House political group dominating them all.
In the five provinces where "orange" candidates competed, namely Loei, Ayutthaya, Chainat, Phayao, and Phitsanulok, they failed to make a dent. The September 1 round in Ratchaburi will mark the first time the party is fielding a candidate in this province.
Most recently, Siriphan Khunprajaknukul lost to Monchai Wiwatthanat, the two-term PAO president of Phitsanulok.
The yellow faction has been mocking the orange group with the phrase, “There’s still Ratchaburi to lose.”
Analysis of the five PAO races where orange candidates faced the Big House shows that voter turnout for PAO elections is around 50% to 60%, compared to 70%-80% for parliamentary elections.
In the Mueang district of Phitsanulok, Monchai received 49,896 votes, while Siriphan received 41,596 votes.
The Mueang district, which comprises 20 sub-districts, was divided by the Election Commission into three constituencies: District 1, District 2, and District 4.
In District 1, which includes 9 sub-districts, Siriphan won every sub-district.
However, in the remaining 11 sub-districts in Districts 2 and 4, Monchai had a significant lead, indicating that the Big House regime still holds influence in the outer districts.
The Election Commission has announced September 15 as the date for the by-election in Phitsanulok to fill the vacancy left by Padipat Suntiphada, MP for District 1, who was removed from office by the Constitutional Court for being an executive member of the Move Forward Party, which was dissolved by the Constitutional Court last month.
The results of the PAO presidential election in Mueang district show that the People’s Party still holds an advantage over Pheu Thai and Palang Pracharath parties in the by-election.
