Move Forward upbeat of landslide victory in Bangkok

The opposition party issued this bold statement at a press conference held to announce its candidate for Chatuchak district – Supanut Minchainant.

The press conference at the party headquarters was chaired by deputy party leader Phicharn Chaowapatanawong.

He was echoing party leader Pita Limjaroenrat’s declaration last month, who said he had visited several constituencies in the capital and received a very warm welcome.

In the 2019 election, when Bangkok had 30 seats up for grabs, Move Forward won nine, while Palang Pracharath and Pheu Thai won 12 and nine, respectively.

This year, the constituencies have been redrawn to create 400, which has resulted in Bangkok being allocated 33 seats.

The date for the general election has tentatively been set as May 7.

Meanwhile, in a poll conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration in October last year, Pita appeared to be the favourite PM candidate in Bangkok, earning 20.40% of votes. He beat Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who won only 15.20%. Move Forward Party, however, came second in popularity, after Pheu Thai.

Unfazed by the poll results, Phicharn told the press on Monday that his party is certain it will win overwhelming support in Bangkok because it has proved itself in Parliament over the past four years.

He said Move Forward had done its duty by both sponsoring bills and censuring the government.

Supanut, meanwhile, told the press that he had joined Move Forward because the government’s “poor performance” has made the social and economic gap in Thailand even wider.

“I chose Move Forward because it has proved itself with outstanding performance in Parliament in its battle against nepotism and monopolies,” he said.

At the same press meet, party spokesman Rangsiman Rome said key members of the party visited several provinces in the Northeast last week to launch their election campaigns. The trip last week had included Roi Et, Khon Kaen and Udon Thani and the team received a very warm welcome from the locals, he said.

Rangsiman added that Pita will be visiting Nakhon Si Thammarat and Phuket on March 11 to launch the party’s policy on national healthcare.

The party leader will return to Bangkok on March 12 and will introduce all 33 candidates for Bangkok. Pita is also expected to announce more key policies of the party, Rangsiman added.