Thai PM Paetongtarn’s support slumps to 9.2% in poll amid protests demanding her resignation
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra's approval rating had dropped to just 9.2 per cent, down from 30.9 per cent in the first quarter.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
BANGKOK – Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s support has slumped to a single digit in an opinion poll as her popularity reels from a diplomatic scandal.
Only 9.2 per cent of respondents support Ms Paetongtarn, the youngest daughter of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, according to the June 19-25 survey by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida).
This compares with the 30.9 per cent who backed her as premier in the previous survey conducted in March.
Thousands of protesters rallied in Bangkok on June 28 to demand Ms Paetongtarn’s resignation as the fallout continued from her leaked phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen
Mr Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, leader of the opposition People’s Party, topped the list of preferred candidates for prime minister, with almost 31.5 per cent support – up from 25.8 per cent.
His supporters say they want a new generation governing the country, with honesty and transparency, and bringing fresh ideas and policies, according to Nida.
Some 19.9 per cent of respondents said there is no candidate suitable as prime minister.
The poll involved 2,500 Thais aged 18 and above nationwide, Nida said.
Ms Paetongtarn has resisted calls to step down
The controversy prompted a key coalition ally to defect and her government to nearly collapse in June.
The political turmoil compounds the woes of South-east Asia’s third-biggest economy, which has been hurt by US tariff threats, a tourism downswing and a consumption slump.
Among political parties, the People’s Party had the highest approval rating at 46.1 per cent, up from 37.1 per cent.
Ms Paetongtarn’s Pheu Thai Party received 11.5 per cent support, down from 28.1 per cent, according to Nida.
Ms Paetongtarn was picked for the prime ministerial post in August 2024 in a parliament vote just days after the removal of her predecessor, Mr Srettha Thavisin, by the Constitutional Court in an ethics violation case. BLOOMBERG
