Pongsapat leaps ahead

Pheu Thai candidate Pongsapat Pongcharoen has leapt further ahead of his Democrat rival in the latest approval ratings, according to two major pollsters.

Of those polled by Suan Dusit, 42.59 per cent chose Pongsapat, 34.31 per cent Sukhumbhand, 6.38 per cent Sereepisuth Temeeyaves and 0.77 per cent Suharit Siamwalla.

Abac Poll said 42 per cent of its respondents backed Pong-sapat, while 33.5 per cent chose Sukhumbhand and 8.6 per cent Sereepisuth.

Suan Dusit's survey was carried out among 3,410 voters in all 50 Bangkok districts, from Saturday to Wednesday.

Abac Poll questioned 2,518 voters, between January 31 and Wednesday, and had an accuracy margin of plus/minus 7 per cent, said Abac Poll director Noppadol Kannikar.

Suan Dusit's poll suggests Pongsapat has stretched his lead slightly, after its earlier survey (January 26 to 30) showed him enjoying an approval rating of 41 per cent to Sukhumbhand's 36.12 per cent.

Suan Dusit's latest poll found that Pongsapat's traffic policy was the most popular, favoured by 22.25 per cent of respondents. The second most favoured was his anti-drug trafficking policy, with 22.01 per cent. Sukhum-bhand's anti-flood policy was third with 21.29 per cent.

But 58.72 per cent of respondents cited Pongsapat's policy on traffic as the most difficult to implement, followed by the anti-flooding policy of Sukhumbhand, with 17.44 per cent.

In Abac Poll's survey, 63.5 per cent of respondents said they would vote, while the remaining 36.5 per cent said they would not.