City polls a Democrat, Pheu Thai affair

Although there are only two weeks left before the polling on August 29 for 256 district councillor seats and 61 BMC seats, it is still cloudy which party will achieve victory in the two races.

Election Commission statistics show that the BMC has expanded from 57 seats to 61 seats for the 50 districts of Bangkok, or one seat per constituency.

There are 11 districts with two BMC seats, namely Chatuchak, Jomthong, Sai Mai, Bang Khen, Bang Khae, Bang Kapi, Bang Khunthien, Prawet, Khlong Samwa, Don Muang and Lat Krabang. Bang Sue, which used to have two district councillors, now has only one.

There are 189 BMC candidates. The Democrats and Pheu Thai are contesting every constituency. The New Politics Party is fielding 40 candidates, Prachakorn Thai Party one candidate and Matubhum Party two candidates.

There are 16 independent candidates, calling themselves such names as the Bang Khunthien Fan Club, New Generation Don Muang group, Working People Group, Thon Buri People group, Don Muang Protection group, Min Buri Fan Club and Satthatham group.

There are 726 candidates vying for 256 councillor seats in 36 districts. Earlier 14 districts held elections.

The Democrat Party won 35 seats in the July 23, 2006 BMC election while Thai Rak Thai won 18 and independent groups won four.

During the term of the 2006 Bangkok councillors, there were three by-elections. The People Power Party or Pheu Thai gained two more seats, bringing their total to 20. The Democrat Party had two independent councillors move to work under its banner, causing the Democrats to have 35 seats.

Local Bangkok elections were once a weathervane for what was going to happen with the national election. Bangkok voters however have different attitudes and behaviour when it comes to voting for MPs versus district and municipal councillors.

Voters would take into consideration the personal profile of candidates more than their party. It is very challenging for political analysts to predict which party is going to win the most seats in the upcoming election. No one can tell how much of an impact public sentiment against "the burning down of the capital" and public feelings against "the massacre" would have on voters' decisions.

The Democrat Party, as the ruling coalition party and the core party overseeing the BMA, has advantages over other parties because it can claim government performance over the past one-and-a-half years as its achievements, as well as claim achievements from the policies and activities initiated by the governor, who is from the Democrat Party.

The Pheu Thai Party has focused its election campaign on making Bangkok a better place to live in by improving roads, installing electricity and electric poles in public places, setting up CCTVs in risky spots and increasing security for residents. The party also claims it has carried out its duties of providing checks and balances and expediting policies.

Although individual candidates of the Pheu Thai Party may be inferior to their Democrat counterparts in terms of potential and experience, the results of the previous election show that the Democrat Party beat Pheu Thai only by a small margin. Pheu Thai still has a chance to defeat the Democrats in several districts.

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