The Democrat Party is the first to begin campaigning for the coming election, starting with a series of television spots portraying Abhisit as a family man who is not out of touch with common people.

The first mission of Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva is to re-introduce himself to people around the country, and to change his image in order to appeal to voters across the entire nation.

The Democrat Party is the first to begin campaigning for the coming election, starting with a series of television spots introducing Abhisit.

They portray him as a family man who is not out of touch with common people.

This approach has a purpose. The man behind the ads, Korb-sak Sabhavasu, said a survey conducted by the party showed the vast majority - mostly people in the Northeast - barely know him.

"They might have heard his name, but they don't know his face. Even if they recognise him as the opposition leader, they think the only job Abhisit does is to lash out at the government," Korbsak said.

He attributed this to Abhisit's inability to gain television air-time.

A recent survey by the Democrat Party showed that the majority of the country's 20 million eligible rural voters said they watched television programmes from 6pm-9pm, or prime-time which is heavily dominated by the government, not the opposition. Their chief source of information has been television, he said.

While the party realises the Northeast will be the toughest area to gain votes in the election, it believes recognition of Abhisit among the local people is a good start. The running television spots are designed to do just this. Policy discussions will come later.

But the middle class, who are already familiar with Abhisit, have come up with a different set of questions all together.

Some are wondering why the Democrat Party is promoting Abhisit in a similar way to what Thai Rak Thai did earlier with Thaksin Shinawatra - addressing his leadership style and promoting his image as a family man. Let's not forget that the party is also toying with some of the populist policies that have been the hallmark of the ruling Thai Rak Thai Party.

Does he mean to follow Thaksin's steps, competing against the PM in an area in which he seems to dominate? After all, what does Abhisit have to beat Thaksin with?

During his visit to The Nation yesterday, Abhisit insisted he wasn't adopting Thaksin's marketing style or his populist policies. Rather, he is presenting himself as an alternative.

"At this moment, the country doesn't need a leader like Thaksin. If you expect Abhisit to be the compatible with Thaksin, then you should just vote for him," the Democrat said.

Abhisit said he had different plans for tackling the country's problems. He also believed his experience in the political arena over the past 14 years had underscored his capability to run the country.

The Democrats' take on the economy, education, public health, freedom of the press and the ongoing violence in the deep South were certain to be different from Thai Rak Thai Party, the young leader promised.

The party will announce its policies today.

In the coming months as the poll date approaches, Abhisit will be doing his utmost to show the people he is more than just another opposition leader with nothing better to do than attack the government.

While the media and public may give him the benefit of the doubt for the time being, the coming days and months will determine if Abhisit can really transform himself from a good politician to a national leader.

When speaking to Nation Multimedia Group senior reporters and editors yesterday, Abhisit chose his words carefully and answered all questions at length. It was fair to say he gained a passing grade.

But when all is said and done, the result at the ballot box will be the final word.

Kornchanok Raksaseri,

 Sopaporn Kurz

 The Nation