Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin vowed to work harder to improve the government's performance after an opinion poll showed his popularity and that of the ruling Pheu Thai Party have declined, trailing behind their main political rivals.
The popularity of Mr Srettha and Pheu Thai have continued to fall, while the popularity of Pita Limjaroenrat and the Move Forward Party (MFP) have continued to increase, according to the quarterly poll conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida). This is despite the effort the government is putting into getting the economy back on track.
The results, released on Sunday, showed only 12.85% of voters supported the prime minister, a drop from 17.75% in the previous survey. Pheu Thai Party leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the youngest daughter of former prime minister Thaksin, also saw her popularity decline from 6% to 4.85%.
Supporters of the prime minister who were surveyed by Nida said Mr Srettha is a decisive decision-maker who is determined to solve their problems. Ms Paetongtarn, meanwhile, was praised for her vision, leadership, knowledge and understanding of the country's problems.
The prime minister, who was on an official visit to the Northeast, said in Surin on Sunday that he will continue to listen to problems affecting Thai citizens. The trip was his second visit to the region in just a week.
He has scaled down his overseas trips after mounting public criticism, though he continued to insist that some trips were necessary to promote Thailand to foreign investors.
He told reporters on Sunday that the poll result reminded him to work harder.
"The poll reflects what people think about our work. We must work harder and try to find out what the people really want and provide what they need while also solving their problems," he said.
He said he and his cabinet will continue to tour the country to listen to people's problems and will keep doing so until his four-year term ends.
Asked if he will adjust his strategy to win back the people's trust, Mr Srettha said: "We constantly adjust our strategy, whether there is a poll or not. The opinion survey is part of the feedback for the government."
He noted that some key government policies have not been implemented yet, as the budget for the current fiscal year was only cleared about two months ago.
The 3.48 trillion-baht budget for the 2024 fiscal year, which began on Oct 1 last year, was finally passed in April, as it took a long time to form a government after the last election.
"I don't want to use the budget as an excuse every time ... [but] we have to admit that it affected the government's performance. We need some time [to improve]," the prime minister said.
According to the Nida poll, MFP chief adviser Pita maintained his lead over all other prime minister candidates, with a 45.5% approval rating, a slight increase from 42.75% from the last quarter poll.
Meanwhile, Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, the United Thai Nation Party leader, saw his popularity almost double from 3.55% to 6.85%.
Those surveyed by Nida said they admired the political ideology of Mr Pita and his all-round knowledge.
They supported Mr Pirapan for his credibility, clean image and honesty.
