Many Bangkokians are still undecided about their choice for the post of Bangkok governor, but Chadchart Sittipunt, a former transport minister in the Yingluck Shinawatra government, is a strong favourite in a survey carried out by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll.
The poll was conducted on March 31-April 2 on 1,316 eligible voters aged 18 and over of various levels of education and occupations in Bangkok to gauge the relative popularity of the candidates. The date for the gubernatorial election has not yet been announced by the Election Commission.
Asked who their current favourites were, the answers varied as follows:
- 32.67% of the respondents were still undecided;
- 24.77% were for Mr Chadchart;
- 11.93% for Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda, a former police chief;
- 8.66% for Pol Gen Aswin Kwanmuang, the incumbent governor;
- 4.26% for a candidate from the Progressive Movement or Move Forward Party;
- 3.95% for a candidate from the Pheu Thai Party;
- 2.89% for Rossana Tositrakul, a rights activist and former senator;
- 2.81% for a candidate from the Democrat Party;
- 1.59% for Suchatvee Suwansawat, a professor of civil engineering at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang.
The remainder supported other candidates or did not answer.
Asked what problems they would like the new Bangkok governor to tackle after taking office, with each respondent allowed to choose more than one answer, the answers were:
- 61.40% Bangkok traffic;
- 32.67% the cost of living;
- 28.50% environmental problems such as smog and water pollution;
- 26.90% flooding;
- 21.66% drugs and crime;
- 20.69% roads and pavements in need of repair;
- 18.77% garbage and cleanliness;
- 7.45% education;
- 7.37% hawkers and vending stalls;
- 6.46% public health;
- 5.09% children and youth;
- 0.53% other problems including public transport, the homeless and stray dogs.
