Nearly three in four of Bangkok residents polled on Thursday said they would vote in tomorrow's general election, Abac Poll said yesterday.

Of the 3,006 people surveyed, 74 per cent said they would go to vote, 14.5 per cent said they were undecided, and the remaining 11.5 per cent said they would stay home.

The opinion poll showed a fall in the popularity of the Thai Rak Thai Party, with only 34.6 per cent of those surveyed on Thursday confirming their loyalty to the party, compared with 46 per cent on March 11.

Support for caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra also appeared to be waning, with 24.7 per cent of respondents in favour of his immediate resignation compared with 21.9 per cent in the previous survey.

"The election outcome will not reflect the public's judgement of the prime minister," said Abac pollster Noppadon Kannika, warning against citing the result as a shield to cling to power because the snap election was being held in unusual circumstances.

Meanwhile, the Thai Rak Thai Party plans to dispatch 20 teams of canvassers today to encourage Bangkok residents to vote tomorrow.

Each team will be led by a caretaker minister and make door-to-door visits to constituents in an 11th-hour pitch before the campaign deadline expires at 6pm.

"If voter turnout is high, the political turmoil will have to end, because nothing can resist the voice of the people," said the party's deputy leader Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan. Sudarat voiced optimism that the ruling party would win Sunday's election.

She said opponents of caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra were obliged to respect the vote, adding that Thaksin would quit only if voters wanted him to.

"Should voters want him to continue working, his opponents must listen to the voice of the people and stop their protests," she said.

She said Thaksin himself would not be campaigning on the eve of the election, although his canvassers would be on the streets.

Thai Rak Thai

The Nation